Way of a Shinobi
by Kira-Reen
Summary: AU. Hatake Kakashi was ANBU, now he had to learn to be human. Uzumaki Naruto needed a guardian and he got a teenager with silver hair. Chapter 25: Itachi finds himself faced with yet another living legend; Kakashi awakes in a strange land. HIATUS.
1. Escape

Chapter edited 28/01/2010.

1. Escape

Blood dripped off the silvery edge of the katana slowly. He reversed the grip and watched as the red life-giving liquid slipped down the blade, sheathing its sharp brilliance and soaking the leather wrapped hilt. Eventually, the hilt gave and blood droplets flowed downward, soaking the gloved hand that was tightly gripping it. The wolf wondered idly at how much soap would have to be spent trying to get the stains off. He decided it would be easier to get them to issue him a new blade.

Not that it mattered of course. The rest of him was splattered with the red stuff and other, more odoriferous, bodily fluids. And this was not the first time. His armor was tinged a permanent shade of rust even when it was freshly scrubbed. Years of ill-tended bloodstains had taken their toll. There was no cleaning agent that would suffice to remove the marks now. Nor, he supposed, would the odor ever truly leave.

He knew the stench of blood clung to him and permeated the area, but his usually sensitive nose failed to react. After fourteen years as a shinobi, he was inured to such. It was odd really. Shinobi were supposed, according to a scroll he had read as a young child, to possess the keenest sight, the most acute sense of smell, and the sharpest hearing. Yet, the 'best' ninjas he knew, the most proficient and experienced ones, were those who had learned not to see, smell, hear, or ever truly experience.

Either that or they were completely insane.

You see it was easier to kill, to take a life not because it was justified, but simply because you were ordered to, without your senses. Most of the ANBU learned to switch them off early on. Those who did not, went mad, died or left (or did all three sometimes) early on.

Though, there were the few lucky ones who managed to perform their jobs without having to amputate such an integral part of their humanity. These fortunate individuals were rarely affected while on a job. Instead, they relived every aspect of their kills in dreamscape; from the coppery tang of blood pervading the scene, to the sound of a sharpened blade as it slid cleanly through a man's guts and the sight of red paint spraying over it all.

Kakashi slept very little at night. He had dealt with it for years now, content with stealing seconds from the Sandman. After all he had never been a particularly deep sleeper; not with his father's face looming in the background.

The past few years had taken their toll on him. Lost teammates, lost sensei, lost sleep, lost sanity. Indeed, somewhere along the way, he had completely, utterly, lost it all.

At six, he had lost his innocence. At ten he had lost the ice protecting his heart, thawing under the influence of Team Seven. At fourteen, he had lost the last, and perhaps the only, person who had truly known him. And at the grand old age of nineteen, he realized he had lost his life – there was no meaning left to it anymore.

The tell-tale sensation of chakra being molded snapped him out of his musing. He narrowed his focus and identified the incoming arrivals via his nin-dogs' senses. A pair of shinobi, both strong, Jounin-level at least. And friendly. He relaxed at the realization and knelt beside the corpse in front of him, methodically stripping the body of any useful items before moving to the equally stiff body beside it. Before his squad mates had fully teleported to the scene, the wolf had relieved most of the dead shinobi of their possessions.

The boar and the cat said nothing as they bent to aid him. The wolf was comfortable with these two, testament to the many missions they had survived. His fingers stumbled for a moment, slipping on the slick surface of the entrails peeking through the dead enemy nin's torn tunic. He had killed her earlier, catching her at the perfect angle with that ruined katana of his.

A hand reached out to him, almost brushing his shoulder. The wolf spun around with deadly grace and pinned the kuniochi to the tree, the edge of his sword already pressed to the other's throat, and froze.

"Shinobi who hurt their friends are lower than trash!" the words of a dead idealist echoed in his ears, bringing with it a strange disorientation that settled into his limbs, miring them in the past.

"Always protect your team," the favorite saying of another dead ninja snapped him back to the present. He dropped the katana and leaned against a nearby ruin, adamantly avoiding the sight of the single bead of blood that was slowly sliding down the cat's throat. The trio did not stir until the remaining member of their squad returned. The four proceeded back in silence, the boar, the cat, the wolf and the weasel. They were the best. The incident would not affect them in the least. They were ANBU.

Later, in the numbingly chill shower, the wolf realized that this was not true. The cat, you see, had just walked in with the boar. The young weasel was already drowning his anguish beside him. The weasel's black hair lay flat on his scalp and his eyes glowed an eerie red, three pinwheels in each of them spinning furiously at the ceiling. His young, soft and yet scarred skin would have shocked many. The wolf did not care.

What made his shaking double was not the freely bleeding gash adorning the weasel's teenage body. It was not the dried blood which had turned the boar's white hair crimson. It was not even the glazed emptiness in their eyes which reflected his own.

The sight of a long line of reddish raised skin that glared at him from the cat's neck turned his stomach. The memory of spinning her around and digging the blade into her neck shamed. The memory of the insatiable bloodlust, that manic irrational desire to kill, to feel his blade sever tendons and watch blood spurt out in a glorious fountain, scared him. For the first time in nearly a decade and a half as a Konoha shinobi, Hatake Kakashi was truly scared.

And so for the first time in his life, he had reason to take the coward's path. He ran away.

At the old age of barely nineteen, after nearly six long years in the ANBU and gaining a place in the bingo books of virtually every other shinobi village, Kakashi retired.

He sheathed his katana and shoved it under the bed, broke his mask, burned his blood-soaked armor and all four sets of the skin-tight uniform. The wolf was no more.

Author's Note: This was begun in 2005 and I've just slowly started updating everything and removing the random fanpanese (ugh), so bear with me. The most glaring inconsistency is probably the Fourth's name - I've changed it to Minato in chapters I've gotten around to editing but you'll see him being called Kazuma Arashi in others. Anyway, hope you enjoy reading this :"D


	2. The Incident

edited 30/01/2010

Chapter 2 – The Incident

Part 1

A/N: Keep in mind that this is an A/U story and some facts have been tweaked to allow for creative license.

Months later…

The little boy trudged down the road sadly. It was his birthday today. But all of Konoha was in mourning. After five years as an orphan, being ignored was not a new thing. Still it hurt that on this day, even the comfort of school had been taken away from him.

Today was a day so special that his class at the Shinobi Academy had been cancelled. No Iruka-sensei to annoy, no Shikamaru, Chouji and Kiba to make mischief with; not that the 3 were his friends, mind you. He had made no friends.

Naruto remembered his first day there and the irrational hope that had filled him. He had believed that someone would finally come up and talk to him. He had prayed that without their parents around to pull them back, his peers would be friendlier. But life was rarely fair.

Still, it was fun to be around those three and feel like there was somewhere he belonged, even if it were only among the outcasts and only for a while. He sighed again – there was no school to day.

The blonde scrunched up his face at that and blinked tears out of his eyes. It was so unfair! Just because the Fourth Hokage had died on this day eons ago to save this village didn't mean that they should all continue to plunge themselves into mourning! In fact, Naruto was quite sure that the Fourth had never meant it to be this way.

Even then, he had to admire the respect and recognition given to all four of the Hokages. He raised his head and smiled at that.

'Someday … someday I will be Hokage … and everyone will have to acknowledge me, Uzumaki Naruto!' he pledged.

A huge hand grabbed his shoulder roughly and shook him.

"Hey, kid! What are you doing? Loitering about at this hour … can't you give us some peace, demon!" an angry voice demanded.

The small boy turned around and recoiled from the man, blue eyes wide with surprise. The man in front of him was missing a leg and was leaning on a crude wooden crutch. His eyes were bloodshot and Naruto could smell alcohol on his breath an arm's length away.

The man leered at him and leaned forward, causing the child to scramble backward in fear.

"So, the monster is scared, eh?" the man taunted cruelly.

The guys around him laughed and Naruto realized in panic that seven others now ringed him.

He knew what they wanted. This wasn't the first time after all and he doubted it would be the last. Naruto had gone back home bruised and even bloody before; but no one had been there. No one ever would. The injuries had always been easily explained away to the occasional prying adults who had been few and far between.

But this was the first time there were so many of them. Naruto had a bad feeling about this.

After all, there were worse things than being ignored.

* * *

He was found hours later, curled up in a tree hollow.

Uchiha Ryuuga almost gagged at the sight before him. He was an experienced Chuunin and a veteran police officer but none of his missions had prepared him for this twisted sight.

A blonde haired five-year old (six since a few hours ago) lay huddled in the hollow. His young face was peaceful and angelic in sleep. The sight should have been one that made annoying aunts coo and pinch his cheeks, and for a mother to look fondly upon, right before she kissed him goodnight. But this little boy had no mother, and that made all the difference.

Blood covered the child and had soaked his clothes a dark crimson. His hair was matted with the stuff. Huge bruises peppered the exposed skin Ryuuga could see through the tattered white shirt and jeans ensemble the boy wore.

And the wounds … they were a garish sight … whoever had done them was obviously not in his right mind. The kid's limbs were mangled and bled furiously. By all accounts, he should have been dead. Ryuuga did not think he would live long.

The village was just awakening from a somber day of mourning. He had to act fast if the boy were to see sunrise. Ryuuga gently lifted the boy surprised at his weightlessness, not even his tiny four year old niece was so light.

He winced as one of the kid's arms swung free, clearly no longer properly attached to the shoulder socket. He cursed silently as he cradled the bloody mess that had once been a child and attempted to grasp the arm.

On days like this, Ryuuga regretted being born into Konoha's police force.


	3. What Should Not Have Been

edited 31/01/2010

Chapter 3 - What Should Not Be

Sandaime stared at the hospital bed. The huge white bed dwarfed the tiny figure that lay smothered in blankets.

The bruising discolouring the boy's face was slowly vanishing. Being the carrier of the nine-tailed demon had advantages it seemed.

"What would you have done, Yondaime?" the old man wondered wearily.

Just a month ago, Yondaime's other charge had appeared, mask broken in pieces. No words had been needed.

The existence of the ANBU was a necessary evil; it could be argued that shinobi were a necessary evil. But both were needed.

Konoha was one of the only hidden villages that allowed that ninjas to live a normal life, or at least have a taste of it. That, the Hokage thought, only made it more difficult to be a Konoha ANBU.

Most gave up the job after a couple of years, if they were not already dead or driven to insanity. Hatake Kakashi had joined the ANBU when he was 13. And, if memory served, it had been nineteen years since he had stood in the White Fang's home, attending the celebration of his son's birth.

Six years doing what no child or teenager should be asked to – and the look in Hatake's eyes yesterday – he had failed the White Fang and the Fourth. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

And now … the Hokage glanced over at the blonde child slumbering under the influence of drugs … he had failed again.

A nanny was supposed to be looking after the child. The Sandaime had spoken to the woman yesterday. Apparently, a demon was not worth caring for. He winced at the memory.

"Demon –" his eyes traced the strange marks on the child's cheeks. They had not been there when Naruto was born.

_Flames licked at his sandals, burning all that was in sight. The cries of many rang in his ears. It would be the last sound many of them uttered._

_"Mama! Papa! Let me go!" screams pierced his ears. Sarutobi would later remember them. Soot covered his arms as he worked feverishly to quell the fires ravaging the village. He wished he could do more._

_He caught a glimpse of silver hair and an ANBU masked shinobi cradling a bundle._

_"Kakashi, where are you going? The Kyuubi is in that direction!"_

_"The Fourth ordered me to bring him."_

_"What? Then he – is he planning to use that Jutsu?"_

_"Yes."_

_Sarutobi glanced down at the bundle in the Kakashi's arms. Blonde strands of hair already capped the newborn's head, making it clear whose child this was. The infant was sleeping soundly amidst all the destruction._

_"The mother – "_

_"She died in childbirth," came the cold reply. He nodded at that, freeing the young wolf to go on his way._

_'Good luck Minato. I have never known a better man or a better shinobi … '_

_The sudden explosion of a nearby house knocked him sideways. He dodged the debris and landed, his hands already forming seals. There was no rest for the weary._

The Sandaime snapped out of the memory. He had been reminiscing far too much lately. It was a sign, he supposed, that he was too old to be doing this. He had broken the trust of many, ignored the promises he had made to others and himself.

Inspiration struck him. Naruto clearly needed a guardian. As the Hokage, he had no time to look after a small child, and there were precious few who could be trusted with the boy. As for Kakashi … Kakashi needed to remember how to be human. And who better to teach him that than a certain boisterous blonde.

Sandaime smiled at his solution. He wasn't called the Professor for nothing.

Naruto yawned and stirred, making Sandaime's smile widen into a grin. He contentedly puffed his pipe. Perhaps some good would come out of this after all.

A/N: Sorry about the brevity of the chapter. Deleted quite a bit during the edit.


	4. New Beginnings I

edited 14/10/10

Chapter 4 - New Beginnings

Part 1

Kakashi stared at the forehead protector in his hands. He ran roughened fingers over soft blue cloth and cool steel before tracing the stylized leaf emblem in the center; a variety of nicks and cuts marred the mounted metal plate, despite the years it had spent in storage.

The hitai-ate had belonged to his sensei. It was all he had left of him really. This, and the memory of bright yellow hair framing gentle blue eyes that held infinite love and wisdom, were all that were left.

The day Yondaime died had been the day Kakashi had abandoned his own protector – he had thrown it into the river – for a wolf mask. He had been ANBU for all of five hours before …

He pushed the memory away. Today, Hatake Kakashi reminded himself, was a day for new beginnings. He would wear sensei's forehead protector in remembrance and the hope that he would be half as good a teacher as Minato-sensei.

He knotted the protector with the air of one who is used to doing such a thing. Old habits died hard. He paused at the dark green jounin vest, eyeing it for a moment before slipping into it gingerly. The weight of the vest was decidedly unfamiliar. For all his experience in the ways of a shinobi, Hatake Kakashi had never worn a ninja vest before. Even after becoming a Jounin, he had still been too small to be unencumbered by it. As an ANBU, he had been required to abandon all that could, and would, give his village of origin away. A Jounin-sensei though, had no need of such deception.

Today, he realized, he would be walking into the mission room sans hooded cloak or porcelain mask. He would be getting a new student. Kakashi smiled at the thought; he did not search out responsibility normally, nor did it search him out (his penchant for being chronically late was, no doubt, the culprit), but only now did he realize how much he was looking forward to teaching the younger generation. Had sensei felt this way the day he had been assigned to teach him?

Probably not. Kakashi had long known that Minato Namikaze had been one of the more ardent protestors against the change in rules that allowed children to take lessons at the age of five and graduate at seven. Kakashi himself had been an exception: he had entered the Academy at four and graduated six months later. He had barely been five at the time. It was ironic though that the youngest jounin had been the one protesting the rule. In a way though, had been fitting that Minato-sensei, who had been so against his promotion, had become his teacher in the end.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Kakashi stepped toward the door before catching a glimpse of the bathroom mirror through doors that he had forgotten to close. He fumed inwardly.

The mirror was the same as it had been since, well, forever. It was plain with not even a border encompassing it and was slightly rusty at the edges. A yellowed, tattered piece of paper with his own childish script on it was stuck on a corner. Kakashi had not looked upon it for many years but he could still recite, from memory, what the note said.

_'We pledge our lives in service of a greater cause. Though we may do what many would not. Though we may do what we would rather not. Though souls be stained and sentenced to the blight. Still, we serve. For this, is our calling, and this, is our life. To serve with valor and to die with honor. This is the Will of Fire.'_

It was the Shinobi Pledge of Konoha, set down at the top of a large stone, which was now a memorial for those who died in action, by the Shodaime himself.

Still, the problem was not the decrepit state of the mirror. Nor, was it the ragged state of what should exist in every Konoha ninja's house. The problem, in fact, had nothing to do with the mirror and everything to do with its owner.

The aforementioned owner, was currently cursing at his stupidity. For a genius, he sure was dense. He could just see himself now, patrolling the streets as Konoha's friendly (and of course finest), shinobi … or in his case, monster.

He hastily untied the cloth and carefully adjusted it over his whirling, red, left eye and the horrific scar that bisected it vertically. Kakashi winced as the Sharingan began throbbing horribly in response to the unfamiliar pressure. It was going to be a long day. He could tell.


	5. New Beginnings II

chapter edited 14/10/10

New Beginnings II

Kakashi zipped through the training grounds and into the village; he was once again late and was soaked to the bone.

Nevertheless, he slouched into the mission room, looking every inch the infamous Copy-Nin, any sign of his previous anxiety gone. He gave his name to one of the Chuunins, daring the low-ranked shinobi to take the bait by leaning across the man's table and dripping rainwater onto his papers. The Chuunin merely handed Kakashi a slip of paper.

'Report to me in my office. I have a special assignment for you.

- Hokage'

Kakashi gulped at that as he glanced at the wall clock. It was nine-thirty. His meeting had been schedule for 0730h. No one kept the Hokage waiting, not even him! He slinked through the door slowly, and froze.

Memories flooded him at the sight of the familiar uniform he had donned just a month ago, and the recollection of what he had nearly done staggered him. Bile rose in his throat and he clenched and unclenched his fingers as he strode into the Hokage's office unchallenged. He barely registered the guard's salutation and the query after his health.

He slouched in a corner, waiting for the Hokage, dazed and shaken at his powerful reaction to the ANBU. The sound of someone breathing shallowly made him start before he belatedly realized that he was the sole occupant of the room.

'Shinobi rule 25 … remember shinobi rule number 25, damn it!' he chanted over and over in his head, trying to quell his inner turmoil. His shaking hands were already hidden in his pockets.

A soft cough and the acrid smell of smoke interrupted his thoughts, and Kakashi barely concealed his startled jump; he was once again thankful that his mask obscured his facial expressions.

"Kakashi-kun. You are very late, aren't you?" the voice was amused and gently reprimanded him, banishing all planned excuses. Kakashi shifted uneasily like an academy student, before regaining his composure.

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama," he replied with a bow, offering no excuse and knowing that the Hokage would ask for none. Kakashi lied to many over his tardiness, but never to the Hokage. The protégé of the First and the Second knew all too well how the Fourth's pupil spent his time.

Sarutobi studied the young man with a slight frown. So many years had past, too many for the young man in front of him to still be grieving. Then again, who was to say that six or eight years, were too long a time to grieve for a beloved sensei and a close comrade?

"Ah, it is just as well I suppose. Naruto-kun is likely to have just woken up. Come, follow me," he said, breaking the slight tension and striding through another door, down a long flight of stairs. He was, Kakashi realized with surprise, heading toward the guest rooms, which often housed visiting dignitaries.

Not many shinobi were privileged with such information, but Kakashi had once had the honor of being assigned to the Hokage's guard, and that had required him to know the Tower intimately.

Also, he had been one of the Fourth's students. After the deaths of Obito and Rin, both of them had been too busy with the war. Despite his youth, Kakashi had been thrust into the frontlines as a commander, mostly because of his habit of getting all his squad mates out alive. Minato, of course, had been busy with tactics and the sort. The Fourth had eventually taken to inviting Kakashi to his quarters for tea whenever either of them had the time.

It had been, Kakashi reflected, a move calculated to keep their bond of teacher and student alive long after they were no longer connected by that thin superficial thread. It had worked though.

As he followed the Sandaime, his mind working furiously. What would a Genin be doing in the Hokage's guest rooms? And that name … it was so familiar. A memory teased tantalizingly at the edge of his consciousness, flitting away elusively the moment he tried to grab at it. That name was just so damn familiar. He swore it was from one of the Icha-Icha novels.

Perhaps the boy was the son of someone important. That would explain why Sarutobi-sama had chosen him to teach the boy one-on-one. Kakashi might be new to this whole teaching thing but he _was_ one of the more experienced Jounin around. Also, his reputation was enough to mollify any aristocrat, or said aristocrat's son.

An unpleasant prospect cropped up at the thought. If the boy was the son of some daimyo or an important official, than he would most likely be stuck-up, arrogant, and worst of all, just playing at being a shinobi.

He had no desire to humor a brat who just fancied being a ninja.

Perhaps even ANBU work would have been better … but no, he shied away from that line of thinking. Anything, anything at all was better than being a mere tool, better than being consumed by his work and having to take pills just so he could find sleep without waking up with a raw throat. Even babysitting some idealistic kid who knew shit about ninjas and their (dirty) work.

He stopped automatically when the Hokage's footsteps ceased. The Third was standing in front of one of the identical brown doors that lined a corridor near the top of the Hokage Tower. The Hokage gestured to him to hide as he opened the door, and Kakashi obliged with a single puzzled glance. One did not simply question one's superiors, be it out in the battlefield, or in the Hokage Tower. It was a lesson Hatake Kakashi had learned the hard way.

A blonde blur whirled out of the room and attacked the Hokage. Kakashi tensed momentarily at that but relaxed at the Sandaime's smiling face.

"Old man! You're finally here! I've been stuck here for ages! Can I go out? Huh? Come on, please! I'm fine now! See?" the boy let go of the Hokage's legs and lifted his shirt, showing a network of healing pink scars that crisscrossed his chest.

The jounin's eyes widened at that. Sure, he had seen worse on both his comrades and himself, but never on so young a child. More importantly, how had the child survived such injuries? This kid was not normal at all.

Kakashi's experience with children had been limited that of his Genin teammates. And not even Obito had been so … so loud and boisterous. Nor had even infinitely optimistic Rin been as cheerful as this blonde bundle. His eyes wandered back to the kid, drawn by the suddenly despondent tone.

"Besides…I'm lonely," the boy said, scuffing the floor with his tiny shoe. The kid was smaller than even _Kakashi_ had been when he was five.

Naruto looked underfed and very, very young. Too young, Kakashi thought, to have graduated, or even to be attending, the academy in this time of 'peace'. The kid looked up from the floor, his eyes gazing imploringly at Konoha's Third Hokage.

Kakashi took the chance to get a good look at his new student's face. It was chubby with baby-fat and unmarred by whatever accident that had scarred his chest, marked only by 3 faint whisker marks that ran down each cheek.

Sudden realization hit Kakashi, as he remembered with clarity, the name 'Naruto'.

"_Kakashi-kun, I need you to bring the child to me!" Minato shouted over the chaos._

_"But … sensei," he hesitated._

_"Go! Now! We have no time!" the words were short and his tone clipped._

_But still the wolf tarried, torn between loyalty to Konoha and his concern for his sensei._

_"Hatake! I said now!" Konoha's Yellow Flash thundered, frustrated at the precious seconds wasted. Every moment he stood here arguing meant another 10 houses destroyed and more civilian casualties._

_Hatake Kakashi was an exemplary shinobi. He always obeyed orders. Or at least, that was what his Chuunin-sensei had written on his graduation report. He was wrong._

_"He will be all alone, sensei!" the words blurted out before he could stop them._

_Minato Namikaze understood in that instant why the boy was so resistant. His eyes softened for just a moment. Kakashi's mother had died at birth, his father had slit his own throat, choosing to die rather than live with shame._

_Kakashi was ANBU. He had been an elite Shinobi, a jounin, for three years. But deep down, he was still a scared silver-haired orphan boy, who did not want to lose his sensei, and who did not want to condemn another to his life of loneliness and countless rules._

_A distant roar shook him out of it. He had no time to reassure his student and tell him all would be fine. Hysteria gripped him at the irony … the one time Kakashi actually looked to him for comfort was when he could not afford to give it._

_"He will have his mother," the Yondaime had replied softly, his blue eyes pleading Kakashi to understand. The boy nodded once, tightly, and the Fourth turned to leave._

_"How will I find you, Hokage-sama?"_

_The Hokage smiled at that; how like you, Kakashi-kun, to put it all behind you._

_"You'll know," came the grim reply._

_Kakashi leapt away to the Hokage Tower. A medic-nin stood watch over a cot in his sensei's quarters. He watched Kakashi take the sleeping newborn out of the cot wordlessly - he was expected._

_"The mother?" he queried tonelessly._

_"She's dead"._

_Grief grabbed him for a moment. Uzumaki Kushina had always been welcoming toward the serious solemn boy her beloved had taken under his wing. A lesser woman might have resented the boy's intrusion into their lives, but not her. She had fed him, comforted him when his sensei could not, and even taught him some mean ninjutsu and taijutsu. And now she was gone. Just like Minato-sensei would be in a few hours._

_Loss was not something new to the thirteen year old and he mentally walled his grief out. He glanced down at the cherubic face of the infant he held cautiously._

_"Did she name him?"_

_"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto," the Chuunin said._

_'Uzumaki Naruto, eh? Good luck. You're going to need it,' he thought as he flew over the rooftops toward the fiery battle being waged._

He had forgotten, Kakashi realized. How, he did not know, but he had forgotten. He stepped out of the shadows, startling the boy into hiding behind the Third. He was surprised to see a pair of wary eyes tracking his every step.

His masked appearance gave others little reason for trust and caused fear. It was one of the reasons he wore the thing in the first place – it gave him a psychological advantage over his opponents. But the jumpy somber child in front of him was so markedly different from the brat he had seen moments ago that Kakashi actually paused in his stride and looked at the Sandaime. Sarutobi glanced down at the child's face and frowned at the fearful expression.

"It's alright, Naruto-kun. He won't harm you. He is actually quite … nice," the man said with a comforting smile. Kakashi barely suppressed a snort at that. 'Nice! Hah!'

"Would it help if I introduced you?" the boy nodded at the offer.

"Uzumaki Naruto meet Hatake Kakashi, your jounin-sensei and your guardian for the next few years," the Hokage said.

Kakashi glared at the Sandaime as the boy yelled.

"What! But I don't know him, old man! What if he's some other stupid drunk who likes to beat kids up? How would you know?" this last was said in a quavering voice, tears sparkling in the kid's eyes.

Kakashi merely chose to raise an eyebrow at the Hokage's announcement-the boy had done enough shouting for them both. 'Well, I guess it's best that I dispel him of the notion that I eat children for breakfast,' Kakashi thought with a sigh, resolutely ignoring the little voice that whispered that he had done things much worse than eating little children.

Hatake Kakashi had no idea how to deal with little kids, especially those that were afraid of him. So he did the first thing that came to mind, remembering how a larger blonde had once diffused a similar situation involving a silver-haired boy. He squatted down to the boy's eye level and eye-smiled at him, projecting friendliness. Naruto smiled back, it wasn't a full smile and it was slightly mollified, but it was a smile. And that, Kakashi decided, was a start.

After they had sent the boy in to pack his meager belongings, Kakashi fixed a hard gaze on the Hokage.

"Guardian?" he questioned, an edge to his voice.

"The boy has not had an easy life, Kakashi," the Hokage answered, meeting his eyes with a clear gaze.

"He will survive," he replied coldly.

Usually, Kakashi was not one to question the Sandaime. But strictly speaking, this was not a mission. This involved the Hokage placing the care of someone else under his responsibility. And that someone else happened to be a very young, very vulnerable boy, who happened to be Minato's son.

So he looked at the Hokage, wanting him to take those words back. He could watch over the boy. Yes, he could do that much for his teacher and Uzumaki-san, but only as the boy's sensei and nothing else.

Kakashi had never been comfortable around others. He had spent most of his childhood in solitude because he was the orphan of the disgraced White Fang and he was a genius.

Those who were different, he had learnt early on, were shunned and feared. So he had reveled in his differences, welcomed solitude with open arms and resolved not to need anyone else. He scared away the students who had tried to talk to him at the Academy, shot down Maito Gai's constant battle challenges, snubbed his temporary Genin teammates during the Chuunin exam, and pissed off his teachers by acting the aloof smart-aleck (not that it had been much of a stretch).

Then Minato-sensei had come. And no matter how infuriating Kakashi had tried to be with his scurrilous words and insulting attitude, and how cold-hearted he'd acted, Minato had always stayed, always offered advice and comfort. Then, Rin and Obito had appeared. One had been mysterious and annoying with her furious blushes and mother-hen ways. The other had been an idealistic crybaby who got under his skin and who had not been worthy of the title 'shinobi'.

He had accepted Rin the day she had matched blows with him during taijutsu practice and then expertly mended his broken leg and her own dislocated shoulder. Obito … he had admitted to himself that he liked the boy just moments before his death.

But never had Hatake Kakashi sought out friendship or any sort of connection to another human being. So he looked at the Hokage coldly, part of him mollified that the Kage trusted him so much, another part of him screaming in horror at the thought.

"Thirteen, Kakashi. I've had thirteen minders walk out on me in the past two years. None of the shinobi I assigned to guard him do it properly. They all claim the same thing - that he's a monster".

Pity stirred in some forgotten corner of his heart but he remained cold outwardly. The Hokage looked at him sharply, his gaze piercing the barrier of icy aloofness Kakashi often erected between himself and the world at large.

"Some drunkards beat him up, Kakashi. He would have died if they had found him any later," the man they called the Professor said softly, guilt overlaying his normally firm voice.

Kakashi felt his gut wrench at that. If only it were any other boy … he sighed silently, accepting defeat.

"He won't fit in my apartment, Hokage-sama," he said.

"I've arranged for you two to stay in a rented house on the town outskirts," the Hokage said, smiling broadly at Kakashi's unspoken compliance. Kakashi twitched – he hated big houses, they were too open.

"I don't know how to take care of a child," he searched for an excuse, unwilling to go down without a fight.

"We both know that you took care of your father when you were his age, Kakashi".

Kakashi's face tightened at the reminder before he bowed curtly, accepting defeat with grace.

Naruto chose that moment to enter. "Let's go!" he chirped. Kakashi was slightly startled by the sudden mood change. It was going to take some time to get used to the child's mercurial ways. He sighed for the umpteenth time that day and thought something that would have made any Nara proud. This was going to be troublesome.

"Come on! Let's go!" Naruto tugged at the Jounin's leg impatiently, his wariness gone as well. The Sandaime smiled at the boy's enthusiasm.

"Naruto-kun, Kakashi, I have to go now. Hanagata-san will take you to the house," the Hokage disappeared before either of them could reply. Kakashi looked from the child to the toady who had just appeared out of nowhere.

_Only for you sensei. Only for you._


	6. Food! Glorious Food!

Chapter 5-Food Glorious Food!

(A/n: err…this chapter turned out sort of weird because I wrote it while under the influence of flu meds…-ducks potential tomatoes thrown at her- The main objective of this whole thing is to show some interaction between Kakashi and Naruto…I re-wrote this chapter four times and harmed several pieces of paper and my keyboard while I was at it…so I hope its alright…this time…)

Naruto sat cross-legged on the linoleum floor and waited. The orange cup in front of him was closed by an equally orange aluminum cover. He looked at the clock. _Not yet._ He opened the foil slightly, just enough for the smell of miso ramen to waft out of the cup. _Oh…it smelled so good. _His fingers itched to rip the cover off and shovel the noodles into his mouth. But no, he would wait.

'_Patience, Naruto, a ninja must have patience'. _Hah! Who said he didn't listen to Higurashi-sensei's lectures! His eyes darted to the clock face again. _Yosh! Only 1 minute left! _He flexed his fingers and bounced up and down on his heels. He eyed the man seated across from him.

The only part of his so-called 'guardian' that was visible was a thatch of unruly hair of questionable color. The rest of the ninja was buried in an orange novel; not that he would be able to see the man even with the book lowered-Kakashi's hitai-ate and face-mask obscured most of the man's face.

That was, Naruto realized, another oddity of his guardian's that he had to add to an already long list. In short, Kakashi was weird. The shinobi suddenly shifted and a sound that was suspiciously like a giggle escaped from him. _Yep…the guy was off his rocker for sure, no doubt about it._

His new 'nanny' had dragged Naruto to his own apartment, saying that they'd stay there until he bought a bigger one or, the jounin had said with a shudder, a house. Apparently, houses were evil. That shudder and the giggle he had just heard were the only signs of emotion Naruto had seen Kakashi display in the 4 hours they had spent together.

He glanced at the clock and than at Kakashi's hair. He sighed moodily and stared some more. Perhaps if he stared long enough, Kakashi's hair would catch fire and then the guy would move! He looked at the clock again. Yosh! It was time to eat.

"Itadakimasu!" he said before diving into the large cup and shoving noodles into his mouth as fast as he could.

Kakashi slowly lowered the book, his heart still thudding from that shocking yell. Kakashi had faced hardened assassins, psychotic geniuses, monsters of all sorts as well as one particular guy from Iwamagakure who had loved to drink blood. But he had never had to witness a 6-year old trying to sit still for 5 minutes before. He had also never seen anybody (not even the Akimichis) eat so enthusiastically.

He carefully reached toward his own ramen cup, never taking his eyes off the frightening spectacle in front of him. He pulled down his mask by reflex-the mask was too uncomfortable to be worn at home as well. He picked up the ramen cup and chopsticks and began to eat slowly, enjoying the luxurious pace. _Ah…ramen was such comfort food. _Kakashi loved his ramen dearly and was always well-stocked with it. Still, watching the way Naruto was gulping the stuff down, he would most likely need to buy more.

Kakashi was not the ramen fanatic Naruto clearly was. Unless the boy was starving? But no-other than the already healing wounds and his small size, Naruto looked healthy. Surely Sandaime would not have let the boy starve? Nah, the kid was just a ramen enthusiast that's all. Seriously though, the child should learn to appreciate finer food. Then again, Kakashi _was _supposed to be his sensei. Yes, it was decided, he would teach Naruto all about delicious food other than ramen.

Like eggplant soup for instance. _Mmm…eggplant soup…_Kakashi drooled as he slurped his ramen. Soft squishy eggplant…_oh it had been too long. _That was it! He was buying eggplant soup for dinner tonight. He could just imagine it now…drinking the thick warm soup and letting the smooth brinjal pieces slide down his throat, all while reading the latest Icha Icha novel. Oh yes, that would be bliss…_no memories…no missions…no nosy people…no-_a shriek interrupted his paradise.

Naruto had finished eating and was now staring avidly at Kakashi's uncovered face. His mouth was wide open.

Kakashi gazed back nonchalantly, bracing himself inwardly for the inevitable shout of horror.

"What! How come you look so young? What did you do, use some ninja thing to look younger is it?" Naruto yelled.

Kakashi blinked at Naruto stupidly. "I'm nineteen", he said calmly, infuriating the child with his attitude.

"What? But you…you have gray hair!" the boy shouted as he hopped on top of the table.

"How can you be my nanny, or my sensei? You're too young!"

"I'm a Jounin", Kakashi said flatly, tiring of the argument; he'd never known that little kids were more tiring then a full workout.

"What! Are you sure?" the boy leaned close to Kakashi's face, narrowing his eyes as he squinted at the older boy.

"Hah! I bet you're lying! You're probably just some Chuunin who's trying to act cool!"

Kakashi snapped at that. His Sharingan flared dangerously. If there was one thing he'd always been touchy about, it was his age.

"I've been a shinobi since I was five. I killed a man for the first time when I was younger than you are now. If you have any complaints, tell them to Hokage-sama, though I doubt he'll do anything. The truth is, Naruto, that no one wants to take care of you and neither of us had a choice in the matter. So what do you say we try to cooperate and make this easier for both of us?" he said monotonously.

Naruto gaped at the shinobi in front of him; fear crept into his heart. The ninja radiated a cold killer aura. The scar slashed across his eye grabbed Naruto's fascination and he looked on, horrified. The dots in the Sharingan eye swirled and drew him into their hypnotic depths, making him relieve the traumatic incident that had placed him in Kakashi's care.

Kakashi was oblivious to all if this. His only intention was to make things clear to the boy, not scare him.

"Besides kid, what gave you the idea I'm your nanny? I'm your guardian but it's not like I had a choice! I don't **want** to take care of you." he coolly delivered the words.

Naruto made a small noise that sounded like what his youngest nin-dog had when its parent had been killed in battle. Kakashi belatedly realized that he was talking to a 6-year old. The child in question also had, as he had noted earlier, trust issues.

'_Shit…so much for being non-threatening Hatake', an insidious voice whispered inside his head._

'_You've probably just scared him for life. Way to go! First mission since you quit the ANBU and you've failed it in 4 hours; maybe you should have just stuck to killing people. It's more your style isn't it?' _the voice continued.

Guilt tore through him at that and he welcomed it. Still, one could suppose it was not really his fault. Most kids had had normal childhoods. They'd had parents to shelter them, teach them and comfort them. They had friends to play with, to tease and to brawl with in the playground.

Kakashi's only parent (that is, the one he could remember), had been a vegetable who had depended on him for survival. It had broken his heart, and hardened any softness his seven-year old Chuunin self might have possessed, to see the once tall and proud Hatake Sakumo become an emotionally crippled psycho who had often tried to kill his only son. Thankfully, the legendary White Fang's skills had fled along with his wits.

Still, Kakashi reflected as he massaged an old scar on his left forearm, there had been a few lucky misses. Like the time he had awoken to find his father looming over his bed with a kitchen knife. He had been mumbling something about killing Stone Nins. Why he had thought his own son was an enemy Nin was something not even Kami-sama knew, of that Kakashi was sure.

Than again, he had come home from a mission involving spying on Stone activities…and the Hatake clan was famous for their tracking skills…_oh well I guess that's just something else I'll have to ask dad when I see him._

As for friends, he had never had them. Most kids had had plenty of friends. But he, as already established, had always been a loner. His only constant companions had been shame, guilt and regret, along with a father who had been haunted by those three as well.

And speaking of a normal childhood…that was impossible in Kakashi's case. He'd never had a childhood.

Thus, given the circumstances, one should forgive Kakashi for his actions. He knew of course, in theory, that 6-year olds were children. And children, the psychology textbook had said, were to be treated gently as any sort of violence could harm their fragile psyche, and leave a lasting imprint.

The only children he had ever faced were the dangerous sort. He'd even seen a few and heard of a few who enjoyed the taste of blood and who treated killing as a game; very much like the Demon of Mist village, once a upon a time.

'_Are you any different?'_ the voice whispered again. Kakashi added a visit to the local psychiatrist to his mental list; voices in his head were a sure sign he was crossing the line between the normal level of insanity and a more dangerous one.

Another whimper shook him out of his thoughts. Naruto was staring at him wide-eyed now. His blue eyes were fixed on Kakashi's Sharingan in shock and he was biting his lower lip fiercely.

Kakashi reached out without thinking and the boy flinched and skittered back words, his chest heaving. Tears streaked his cheeks as he stared on ahead blankly.

_They closed in around him, laughing all the while. The smell of sake on their breaths made his head reel and his stomach rebelled. _

"_What do you want?" he demanded loudly, his fear making him brash._

"_Feisty, is he?" the first man said._

"_Well, we'll just have to teach him who's in-charge here, won't we?" another commented with a laugh._

"_So how shall we start?"_

"_His fingers perhaps…we should make it so he can't bend them anymore."_

_Naruto shivered at their taunts, blinking back tears that threatened to spill. What did they want? They never told him why. And that hurt more than the beatings and the heated glares._

"_Why? Just tell me why!" he pleaded._

"_Because you don't belong here, bakemono! Nobody wants you! We don't want you here! Get it?"_

_He clenched his fists at that. The action only caused the inebriated men to roar with laughter again._

"_Eh boy! Have you heard the story of Little Red Riding Hood?"_

_Naruto shook his head numbly. His nanny had never told him stories. She just arrived in the morning to make him ramen and spent the rest of the day on the telephone. _

_The nannies had been nicer once, when he was younger. The old man Hokage had visited him more too. Now that he was in school though, they mostly left him to his own devices._

_Still, it hurt. And no one ever told him why._

_A man's menacing voice interrupted his thoughts._

"_So you don't know the story do you?" came the question again._

"_No!" he replied defiantly._

"_Oh ho! Seems like this little demon's not scared yet. Perhaps it is time we stopped playing around, eh guys?" the others drew closer at that._

"_I shall first break your fingers, all the better to hear you scream!" the first man drew closer and closer until he stood right beside Naruto._

_Naruto peered at the night sky, looking for a way to escape. But there was no rooftop to leap onto, no friendly tree branch to aid his escape. He would have to face them._

_Naruto hunched his shoulders and glared at the man nearest to him._

"_Why look at the filthy little brat glaring at me? I'm shaking, guys!"_

"_It is time", the last man said. He was different from the rest. They were all drunk and staggered slightly, their eyes glazed over. This man though, he sent chills down Naruto's back, and he stood straight and tall. His face was cloaked by shadows but his voice was firm and sober. The red eyes Naruto glimpsed held a delighted manic gleam in them._

_The drunkards moved forward, crude clubs raised. As the first blow descended, all Naruto's eyes saw were those red orbs that held his attention and seemed to drown him. Pain exploded as another-_

Kakashi shook the boy furiously. He was breathing shallowly now, his tiny chest heaving furiously as adrenaline coursed through his veins. His eyes though…they looked terrified, but they weren't focused on him any longer.

Kakashi grabbed the boy again, shaking him hard enough to snap him out of it. Naruto came to violently, his blue eyes glancing all around. The boy looked at the Sharingan again and started trembling wildly.

He acted fast this time, grabbing the hitai-ate off the table and covering his scarred eye with it. The boy calmed down visibly, proving that the Sharingan was what had triggered him off.

Kakashi sagged with relief at that. At least…at least it wasn't anything he could help that had set the boy off. Anything he could help much that is, he thought, reflecting back on his words guiltily.

Something he had said had caused the boy to freeze and relive a traumatic memory. Kakashi was fairly certain that memory was linked to the scars he had glimpsed earlier today.

After all, from the files Sandaime had given him, the boy was usually cheerful. Too cheerful, as evidenced by his previous behavior. To see a child so full of life (over ramen of all things!) just moments ago reduced to the shivering wreck on his table was, disturbing. It was just wrong. He reached out to the boy again, meaning to get him to snap out of it.

Naruto scrambled backwards again at Kakashi's touch. He was scared. Kakashi restrained a sigh and bent down.

"I'm just trying to help", he tried convincing the boy. He got no response. Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment. _Help me, sensei._

The memory that came to his aid was not that of sun-kissed blonde hair and kind blue eyes. Instead, the warm brown eyes and red hair (A/N: Like father, like son. Naruto likes pink-haired Sakura…Yondaime liked red-haired Kiei) of Uzumaki Kiei filled his senses. He remembered her soft voice as she coaxed him down the tree after his first assassination.

"_It's alright, Kashi-kun. It's alright." _She'd said as he had sobbed in her arms. It had been one of the few times he'd actually allowed himself to let go; she had been one of the few he had **trusted** enough to drop all pretenses in front of. But she was dead. And her son needed him.

Kakashi took a breath as he dropped to his knees again. He winced as the spilled ramen soup soaked his only good pair of sweats. Still, it was easy to wash clothing; much easier than say, comforting a scared little boy.

He summoned the memory of her voice again. "I'm not going to hurt you", he said softly to the boy; his visible eye dark with emotion.

Naruto, surprisingly, responded to the tone. "But you said…you said…" he stuttered fearfully.

"I said?"

"You said you didn't want me!" the plaintive cry sprang from the boy's lips.

Kakashi frowned. He did not like this lack of information. In any mission, the most important thing was intelligence. If you had none beforehand, you went out, did some recon, and got it yourself, **before** the mission. But that was a matter to be pondered on later. He forced himself to focus on the boy and his ramen-soaked clothes.

"Ah…but I never said I would hurt you, right?"

Naruto shook his head dumbly before pausing as he processed the question. He then began to nod his head, before changing his mind again.

Kakashi couldn't help cracking a smile at the boy's antics. Naruto relaxed at the smile, to Kakashi's surprise.

_Hmm…so a smile goes far, eh?_

He filed that information away in his mind.

"Naruto, why are you scared?" Kakashi winced inwardly at his flat tone; he sounded like a bad imitation of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator (A/N: sorry… I couldn't resist adding that one in…hee).

No answer again.

A cold draft blew threw the window and Naruto shivered, out of cold this time. He had to get the kid into drier clothing, fast.

"What scared you, just now?"

Still no reply.

"Ne, Naruto…what is it? Maybe it was the ramen, huh? You don't like my ramen, is that it? My ramen is not good enough for you?" sheer desperation made Kakashi babble.

Naruto cracked a small smile as he shook his head furiously.

"Iya. I like any kind of ramen! Especially, miso ramen!"

_Ah…so I was right. He **is **a ramen fanatic._

Kakashi pressed the opening.

"That what was wrong?"

Naruto became subdued again immediately.

"Well, if you really don't want to tell…"

"Sensei…your eye…" the boy trailed off, his voice disappearing.

_Bingo!_

Kakashi loved being right. He loved being able to put clues together. It was one of the reasons his favorite toy, at 4, had been a jigsaw puzzle.

"Mah…never mind…we shall leave that for another day, ne?" he eye-smiled again at the boy.

Smiles were wonderful things. The morose boy actually grinned back at him, flashing a grin bright enough to rival one of Gai's. Kakashi shuddered at the thought that Naruto was **anything **likethe green jumpsuit clad taijutsu expert. It was scary…

He did have to live with the kid after all. Still, there were startling similarities. Like their loudness and their preference for bright colors-Naruto's shirt was orange today, as was his bag. Kakashi had a sneaking suspicion (the horror of it!) that Naruto _liked _orange. Shudder.

Then again, the kid was young. And he, as Naruto's sensei, would be obligated to influence the child's color choice (not that his sensei had ever gotten him to wear something that wasn't blue/black). Yes, there would be time for that later.

Just as soon as he cleaned up the living room-Naruto had somehow spilled both cups, one of them (Kakashi's) still full of noodles-and got Naruto dressed, and then got to the root of the kid's problem with a visit to Sandaime.

If he had it his way, a certain group of retired shinobi within the village who liked to get drunk in the evenings would be getting a visit from him as well.

Oh well, he did have the next few years with the boy. Yep, he had plenty of time for that.

A/N: Word count: 3206. Woah! That is one long chap for me…normally I write like a thousand words per chapter…oh well…I guess its cus I was stuck on this chappie for so long…read and review, guys! And to everyone who has reviewed so far: Thank you very much! Your feedback is very useful because a)it keeps me writing, and b)the stuff you guys say sometimes gives me food for thought and gives me ideas when im down with writer's block.

Oh wait…one more thing…if you liked this fic, than go read my spin-off on this called Senseis and Students…the 1st chap of that was a one-shot on Sandaime and Kazuma Arashi. It was meant as an exercise to familiarize myself with writing those two…but somehow it turned into a prelude to the Way of a Shinobi because I just started writing chapter 2, which is Arashi and Kaka meeting for the first time. Anyway, remember to R and R, pretty please with a chibi Naruto on top! LoL...)


	7. Inverted Reflections I

(A/N: Yea….chapter 6…woot! I think this the farthest I've ever gotten in a fic, and its all thanks to you guys who read and review –glomps every single one of her reviewers-So here I am typing out fan fiction when I'm supposed to be doing homework…and revising for a math re-test and a bio test…yikes, I lead a sad life…oh well…)

(A/N 2: About this chapter…its really weird…you'll see what I mean…oh it's split into 3 parts so I can update faster.)

Chapter 6-Inverted Reflections

Day 1

Kakashi's eyes snapped open as he heard soft noises. He lay in bed, whiling away the hours to dawn, waiting for the whimpers to subside. The kid was probably just homesick…

Day 2

Soft cries awoke him again at night. He closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep. He had a mission tomorrow night…

Day 3

Kakashi opened the door wearily as the first rays of sunlight hit the Hidden Village of Leaf. It had been 2 months since he had gone on an A-rank mission, and to go on an S-rank mission now…

But there was a reason for it, as with all things in the world. After being inactive for 2 months, there would no doubt be rumors that the infamous Copy-nin was dead. And Konoha could not afford to show any sign of weakness given the current situation. Sandaime Hokage was old. He was older than any other Kage ever had been. And he had not found a successor. To put it simply, there was no successor. As such, if Konoha were to lose their Hokage now, pandemonium would undoubtedly occur.

It was customary for a Kage to be succeeded by his student or a student's student. But the Sannin were scattered. Sannin Jiraiya's student, Yondaime was dead. And Kakashi was Yondaime's only surviving student. As for the other Sannin…Tsunade had taken her sole pupil with her and Orochimaru had deserted with all of his, leaving only Mitarashi Anko behind. He knew her well. She was friends with the Cat.

He fled from that thought. He did not need to be thinking about swords and blood on the morning after he had just returned from his reintroduction to both. It had nearly the final time he had to face both. _And isn't that what you yearn for?_

It was true. All he wanted was…

A whimper broke that chain of thought as well. Kakashi was, at that moment, very glad for Naruto's presence. He walked over to the boy.

Naruto was rolling in his sheets, gasping soundlessly. Drops of sweat ran down his forehead and had already drenched his blonde hair.

_Pain. It hurt so much. Why? Why were they doing this? Was he really so evil? What he ever done?_

_A voice pierced his thoughts. "Yes, little monster. You are evil incarnate. You are worse, than the Grim Reaper himself. You don't deserve life. No one wants you…**No one cares!**" the voice screamed at him._

_He was plunged into a maelstrom of memories. Everywhere he looked people were screaming and throwing things at him. The worse though, were the glares. Poisonous, hate-filled glares that shook him to the core and promised things he could not begin to imagine at._

_**Stop! **He wanted to scream but he could not. The words refused to leave his mouth. Something was squeezing his chest and everything was red and black. He tried to shout for help or say anything at all. But he couldn't. He wanted to cry but he had not the strength._

_He opened his mouth in desperation. He had to-_

Kakashi knew it was bad when Naruto started thrashing and gulping at the air. The boy had never done this before. He grabbed his hitai-ate from the bed stand and put it on to cover the Sharingan.

He reached over and shook the boy awake.

Naruto came to, gasping for his very life. He looked around in panic, adrenaline pumping through his system and narrowing his focus. He tried to untangle himself from the blankets-in his mind they were ropes tied to hold him down and sobbed in frustration when he couldn't.

Kakashi reached out gently and placed a firm arm on Naruto's shoulder. The boy jumped at that. He stared wildly at Kakashi, unable to distinguish friend from foe. Blue eyes glared into a single black one for a long moment.

"It was a nightmare", Kakashi said at last, slightly unnerved at the ferocity of the boy's gaze. He had stared down cold-blooded maniacs before without flinching…but this boy…his eyes had been so feral, like a cornered wild beast. Perhaps the Kyuubi was still in there…

No. He refused to pursue the thought. Naruto was Naruto. He was a six-year old boy, nothing more, nothing less. He might be the Kyuubi no Kitsune's container. But he was still Naruto. Besides, Kakashi seriously doubted that any youkai would gulp down ramen the way the kid did.

"Just a nightmare…it was so real…"

There, you idiot. See? He's just a small boy!

_Oh really? And how do you know? Experts on youkai all of a sudden are we?_

Kakashi firmly ignored the voices in his head and headed to the kitchen. He uncapped the warm water he kept in a flask for such occasions and poured a cup.

"Here. It'll help clear your head", he offered the cup to the boy. Naruto silently accepted it and drank the water. He drained it and gave it back to the jounin who wordlessly returned it to the kitchenette's shelf.

"So, want to talk about it?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"Why are **you **so concerned?" Naruto asked petulantly.

Kakashi didn't reply this time. They stood in silence, both of them looking everywhere but the other.

Naruto finally turned his gaze to Kakashi, and gasped. Kakashi frowned at that-he had made sure both his mask and forehead protector were secured before he woke the boy up.

"You're…you're bleeding!"

Kakakshi's eyes widened. "Aa…well that…you shouldn't shout you know. You'll wake up the neighbours".

"But…but you're hurt!"

"Mah, mah. I know that Naruto-kun. But it's just a scratch. I'll go clean it up now, ok?" he smiled inwardly. The troublesome slash he'd received across his right shoulder had been worth something after all-it had taken the boy's mind off his dreams.

He went to the cabinet in the kitchen and got out his rather extensive first-aid kit. He had treated a multitude of his own wounds himself over the years and this was nothing. His first-aid kit was of course due to Rin's influence. She had always forced Obito, himself and even sensei, into stocking up on medical supplies.

He reached down to open the box and winced as his shoulder twinged in response to the action. Naruto reached sown immediately.

"Here, I'll do it. The medic-nin at the hospital taught me to dress my own wounds", Naruto got out the roll of gauze, sticky tape and scissors, as well as the alcohol dabs with the air of one who was accustomed to such things.

Kakashi watched bemusedly as the boy measured the gauze out and cut it with the cautiousness of a six-year old. The boy held the gauze up when he was down before he realized he had to put it on Kakashi.

Kakashi decided to humor the kid. He stood up and disassembled his body armor before pulling his shirt off. A stab of pain ran down his arm at that. Damn, he really had to get that looked at tomorrow. He sat down in front of the kid and waited.

Naruto took the unspoken cue to begin. He used the swabs to meticulously and gently soak up the blood and clean the long gash. He soft touches gave Kakashi an odd sense of déjà vu. He could almost hear Rin chiding Obito for being careless as she cleaned his wounds…

Naruto was wrapping the shoulder by now. He finished and tried to hold the bandage in place while he (unsuccessfully) tried to cut a piece of medical tape at the same time.

Kakashi felt a grin tug his mouth at the boy's humorous attempts. At last, he reached out a hand to hold the bandage in place. Naruto looked up at him, seemingly having forgotten about his 'patient'.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him and the kid blushed. He yawned as he cut the tape and plastered it on.

"Well, I suppose its time for you to go back to bed".

"But it's already morning!" Naruto said in between two humongous yawns.

Kakashi shook his head. Naruto pouted. He picked the boy up and deposited him on the small futon before the kid could protest. He turned to leave, envisioning a long soak to soothe his now aching shoulder. A tiny tug stopped him.

"Can…can I…I don't wanna sleep alone", the words tumble out of the boy's mouth as he studied the ground.

Kakashi considered saying no. He looked at the blonde kid and memories flooded him of waking up screaming to empty silence and the drunken groans of a broken man. He had a chance to make a difference. The bath could wait. He picked the kid's bedding up and put them down across the hall, beside his own futon.

"I'll be back after taking a shower". His bath could wait till morning.

Kira-Reen

140805

(A/N: Ok…experimentation with a new style here…like it…don't like it? Read and review. Next chapter


	8. Inverted Reflections II

Edited 18/10/10

Inverted Reflections II

Day 7

Kakashi awoke with a suppressed groan. _Not again._

Naruto was having a nightmare for the seventh time in as many days. It was worrying and frustrating because he could do nothing for the boy.

He padded his way across the small apartment to Naruto's futon. The small form that was entangled in the sheets emitted sounds of distress as it struggled against invisible bonds. Kakashi shook the boy awake.

"Nightmare?" he asked the still quavering boy. Naruto simply nodded. He did not trust his voice.

"Water?" Kakashi made the customary offer.

The child nodded again, sending Kakashi toward the kitchenette. He got Naruto's usual cup of water, all the while keeping an eye on the shivering boy.

Naruto drew his blankets around him despite the humid night and shivered. Kakashi handed him the cup and gestured at the boy to be careful - a cup had been broken this morning.

"Want to talk about it?" he queried softly, already knowing the answer to his question.

The boy gazed at the floor. Kakashi took his silence as dissent. He expelled a breath in frustration before gathering up the boy's blankets and heading across the room. He didn't have to look to know Naruto was behind him.

This had become a nightly ritual for the past week. Naruto always slept across the hall, but ended up sleeping with Kakashi by dawn. The jounin had long since resigned himself to it. Frankly, he was surprised that he seemed to be able to keep Naruto's demons away – the boy had been skittish around him ever since the first day, and what the latter had termed the Ramen Incident.

"Sorry," a soft voice made Kakashi turn around.

"I'm sorry, for all the trouble," Naruto said.

"It's nothing, Naruto-kun. Besides, you're not the only one to have ever had trouble sleeping, you know? I know plenty of shinobi who have nightmares, it's an occupational hazard," he babbled, unsure of what the right words were in such a situation.

"But, I bet _you _never had a nightmare before," the boy said bitterly.

Kakashi stopped in his tracks and turned around so suddenly that Naruto recoiled at the motion.

"I know what it's like, believe me," he replied softly. Something about his tone must have convinced the kid, Naruto didn't say another word.

Kakashi spread the blankets out, scooted over to one side and closed his eyes. Tomorrow, he would visit the Hokage. He'd managed to put off the meeting for so long because Naruto had been confined to the house on the psychologist's recommendation and Kakashi was to be around him during the day at least.

If he didn't solve the puzzling mystery of Naruto and his illogical fear of the Sharingan, Kakashi figured _he _would be the one needing counseling. He would just have to figure something out tomorrow – he wasa genius after all.

Interlude

Dawn overtook the Hidden Village of the Leaf. The first rays of sunlight awoke many of the sleeping shinobi and the joyous cacophony created by the morning calls of birds disturbed the slumber of many others.

The shinobi gate guard changed shift in the morning mist and Uchiha Ryuuga started his journey home. His tired mind drifted for a second to the boy he had rescued more than a week ago. All coherent thoughts were dispersed as he yawned. He stumbled to his apartment upon reaching the outskirts of the Uchiha complex.

His family was not deemed respectable because his father had not married within the clan, as custom dictated he should. As the son of such a reunion, Ryuuga was scorned by much of his own clan. His Chuunin status at the age of twenty-one and his average performance were an oddity in a clan so renowned for producing geniuses.

Oh well, to each his own. He kicked open the stubborn door and entered the cramped apartment. Soiled clothes lay in a basket on one side of a washing machine and clothing was drying above it. Beside the machine was a tiny stove and in front of it was a table, which served multiple purposes. To the left of the table was his only luxury – a boom box. He switched it on and let the music wash over him. Ah…

Ryuuga entered the toilet and shed his sweat-stained clothes. Guard and patrol duty was a mind-numbing affair but it was also tiring. It required a shinobi to maintain a high level of alertness and awareness for long periods of time. Many a ninja had dozed off at the guard posts but Ryuuga took the security and safety of the village very seriously. He might not have been one of the most illustrious or respected members of his clan but he was an Uchiha, and he had always remained true to his clan's precepts.

The tub was full of warm water by now and he slid in, moaning in pleasure as the heated water unknotted his tight muscles. Sleep overcame him.

Halfway across Konoha, another shinobi stirred. His clan had never been much to speak of and his late father had besmirched its name beyond redemption. As it was, this ninja was the only survivor of his clan; he was not very respectable either.

He was, however, a genius. Had he been born in the former's clan, his life would likely have been different. But he was also sure it would have been much darker – boy geniuses were prized … and exploited by the Uchiha. His nightmares, for one, would have been bloodier and more horrifying than they already were.

The genius shinobi was just awakening from aforementioned nightmares. Unlike his blonde charge, Kakashi had long mastered the ability to sleep silently. It was a very necessary, or rather extremely important, skill for a field shinobi. He jolted awake this time and tensed at a presence beside him.

Memory flooded his drowsy mind and he relaxed. He looked down at the boy's face for a moment. In sleep, Naruto looked too young and too innocent to be having nightmares of his own.

Naruto's face was presently unfurrowed, reflecting the deep, contented sleep of its owner. The boy had found comfort from his dreams in Kakashi's presence; but who would provide such a thing for the nineteen year old?

Kakashi shrugged off the self-pitying question. Life, it often seemed, liked to laugh at the serious silver-haired Jounin. Though in retrospect, he realized that he had not dreamt so vividly since the boy had come into his life. It did not bode well for the day ahead.

Kakashi gently extricated himself from the futon and went to shower. He bathed, dressed, and came out, fastening his mask on. His hitai-ate was already secured, it had been the first article of clothing he donned-he tried to never take it off in front of Naruto, waiting until the boy was asleep to avail himself of the headband.

He glanced over at the boy to be sure he was still sleeping. Now…how would he do this? He had to be in two places at once…it was going to be hard. The most obvious answer was a bunshin. But a bunshin would vanish the first time it knocked into something. A dog barked outside. Of course! His dogs! He summoned three of them immediately.

Girashi, Kirane and of course, Pakkun. "Pakkun, I need you guys to do me a favor. See that kid sleeping over there? Look after him," the three canines nodded in unison.

Pakkun was needed for obvious reasons - he was the only one fluent in human speech. Kirane was a tracker by nature, but that was not why he had chosen her. She was also a mother of six who had ample experience keeping younglings out of trouble. Girashi was her mate and a watch-dog. He would provide the muscle necessary for this mission.

"I'll leave him in your hands. Will be back around noon," he said, leaving before Pakkun could complain.

It was still early, hopefully the Hokage would have a few free minutes. He jumped over rooftops rapidly, enjoying the physical activity – he had been cooped up in the house for too long with that S-rank mission his only outing in days. Perhaps even a spar with Gai would be welcome today.

Kakashi reached the strangely deserted Hokage Tower and headed toward the mission room. To his surprise, the mission room was completely packed with Jounin. Kakashi spotted many recognizable faces.

"Ah! My eternal rival! You are early for once. How cool of you to be unexpected and arrive earlier than me!"

Speak of the devil. Gai had just arrived. Why was it that no one answered his serious wishes?

"Yosh! Konoha's Beautiful Green Beast is here! And so is his Eternal Rival, the Copy-nin! We can start now!" Gai had somehow reached his side and put an arm around him. Thankfully, most of the veterans knew enough of Gai and his eccentrics to ignore him. The rookie jounin stared though, and Kakashi fought the urge to discard his nonchalant persona and run screaming into the forest.

"What are we early for?" he asked, fixating his eye on Gai.

"How hip of my rival to pretend not to know! Oh how irritating of you! Hokage-sama summoned us with a hawk of course! I naturally spotted this at once. How cruel of my rival to assume I would not notice it!" tears were streaming down Gai's cheeks and Kakashi tactfully refrained from pointing out that Gai was far from the first to arrive.

By now, everyone was staring. Kakashi discreetly slinked away from Gai as the green-spandex clad man ranted and wailed. "That was cruel, you know," a voice said from behind him.

He turned around and tensed at the familiar face. His eyes flicked to her neck – it was smooth and unscarred.

"Kozui," he nodded to the cat.

She noticed the direction of his gaze. "Most women would hit you for not looking at their faces, yah know?" she drawled, enjoying his embarrassed duck of the head. "Especially considering your infamous choice of reading material…" she smirked at him. Once, he would have just grunted at her teasing ways, but now, he merely offered her a curved eye smile.

"You've changed," she said in a softer tone.

"Aah".

"But you're still a man of few words, I see".

"Ah, it's healed," he said, looking everywhere except her eyes and her white, unblemished neck.

"All things heal, Kakashi. It was never deep to begin with…" her voice was serious. "You shouldn't have left. Not because of that."

"No, a little more and…" he trailed off and turned around, guilt surging through him. Unspoken was the admission that he nearly snapped. He had nearly become the very thing he detested in the world. What had Obito thought about his actions?

He felt an arm gently grab his elbow. "Kakashi – " whatever she wanted to say was cut off by the Hokage's entry.

"Thank you all for responding. Follow me," Sandaime led them to one of the meeting rooms in the Tower. He waited for the jounin to settle down before beginning.

"Konoha, as you all know, is at a state of relative peace right now. However, we are still recovering from the scars of the past decade and more. All of you here today grew up during that era and know the hardships of war. This knowledge has to be passed on to the younger generations. As such, I have called all of you here to discuss the matter of Shinobi enrollment and training. Despite being at 'peace', I am sure you are aware that Konoha is not truly safe and that this situation can change at any time. Those summoned here today are all experienced Jounins," the Hokage droned.

Kakashi stared blankly at the wall. _Why am I here again? Oh yeah. Naruto. Nightmares. Sharingan. Must find out. _He contemplated dozing off.

A sudden thought struck him. He turned to the side and faced the Cat. "You're a Jounin?"

"Since last week," she replied nonchalantly.

"I didn't know they were in dire need," he jibed.

"We aren't supposed to be talking during a meeting," she pointed out icily, stung by his teasing comment. He grunted at that and shut up.

Fortunately, the meeting was over shortly. Most of the shinobi began filing out, but the Hokage remained deep in conversation with a few others. Kakashi ventured over to the group. The Hokage was talking to Elite Jounin Ebisu, an Academy sensei by the name of Yuuhi Kurenai who had once been a squad mate, an older sensei whom he didn't recognize, and an elderly shinobi whose face seemed to tug at Kakashi's memory.

"Then I'll leave it to the five of you," Sandaime ended his speech. Kakashi held back a sigh of relief. He hated waiting.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," they chorused. Kakashi nodded to them as they passed him.

"Kakashi-sempai," that was Kurenai. "Yuuhi-san".

"Kakashi".

"Ebisu".

The unfamiliar sensei inclined his head as he walked by and Kakashi returned the gesture.

The last man stepped forward and surveyed Kakashi. Those eyes … something about them was so familiar. Suddenly the other man grinned.

"Kakashi-kun! It's been years!"

_Kakashi-__**kun**__? Who the hell did he… _It was his Academy sensei.

"Sensei," he nodded respectfully to the man. They might be equals now, but the man still deserved his respect.

"Oh come now, I don't deserve that title. You were under my tutelage for less than a year. We all know you only had one sensei," the older man remarked with a wry smile.

"Aah," Kakashi replied, swallowing hard to dissolve the sudden lump in his throat. _Yondaime…_

"I heard you have taken on a student? How is it?"

"I am not teaching him".

"Oh?"

"It's complicated," he fidgeted. He was really the boy's guardian rather than his tutor.

"Well, I'll see you around".

"Kakashi, I was not expecting you today".

"Pakkun is with the boy," he said flatly.

"Of course. Shall we move this to my office?" the Hokage strode off without waiting for a reply, or even an acknowledgment.

Kakashi fumed silently as he followed - seriously the old man seemed to order him around all the time.

_What! What's wrong with me today? He's the Hokage for crying out aloud, you idiot! Of course he orders you around!_

Kakashi arrived in front of the Hokage's desk and looked up at the pictures. A familiar ache started in his chest as he remembered how the place had once looked like. He ruthlessly suppressed it – the past would have to wait for the present.

"Hokage-sama, what _exactly_ happened to him?" he got straight to the matter. He was in no mood for pleasantries after that lecture.

Sandaime looked at Kakashi. He studied the man, surprised at the anger and protectiveness in Kakashi's voice. He resisted the urge to smile. Sometimes, he could see glimpses of Sakumo in the boy.

"He was beaten up by a group of retired drunks. You already know that".

"Yes. But he was thoroughly shaken at the sight of my Sharingan. He seemed to recognize it and knew to be afraid of it".

"I do not have an explanation for you, Kakashi. But a Chuunin, by the name of Uchiha Ryuuga, was the one who found him".

"He did something to the boy?" Kakashi was surprised at the sudden surge of rage that hammered through his veins.

"On the contrary, Ryuuga was the one who rescued him from certain death".

"But Hokage-sama…there has to be a reason behind his fear of the Sharingan?" he resisted the urge to shout. For not the first time in eight days, Hatake Kakashi wondered if Naruto possessed some sort of strange power over him.

_What is it about the boy that makes me want to protect him so badly?_

Perhaps, it was just misplaced guilt and affection – the boy bore an uncanny resemblance to both his sensei and Obito. But no, it was something else. In just over a week, the child had turned his life upside down. This was the first time he had not visited Obito while he was in Konoha. Even injured badly and strapped to a hospital bed, Kakashi had managed to devise a way to get to the monument.

An irrational part of him resented the intrusion into his life. He had lived in solitude for so long. And his habits, born out of circumstance, had eventually become his nature. In just days, Naruto had changed the routine Kakashi had been living for more years than Naruto had been alive. It was upsetting.

Kakashi was a man of contradictions. Based on his loyalty to Konoha and his sacrificial nature, one might say he was a good man. But in his eyes, he was far from that. He was cold, exacting and always aloof, estranged from the rest. Yes, he protected people. That was a lesson he had learnt painfully and he drew his strength and his very identity from it. But he had no idea how to let others protect him, and there were very few who tried anymore. Most of his comrades feared him, many shunned him, and very few could say they knew him.

"Ryuuga told me the boy was unconscious, presumably from blood loss and shock, when he rescued him. The boy remained comatose for two days, even after the Kyuubi healed him. The medics detected signs of unusual brain activity for a patient in a coma".

"You suspect an Uchiha had something to do with it?"

"I suspect nothing except that the boy was placed under Genjutsu of some sort".

A Hokage had to be impartial, even when it went against all his beliefs and ideals. When one became Hokage, all sense of self was thrown away and the Kage _became _the village. That, was why the Yondaime had been able to selflessly act in the interest of the village, without sparing a thought to the impact his actions would have on his family.

Also, one could not simply accuse the entire Uchiha Clan – they were one of the pillars of Konoha.

"But, Hokage-sama, surely an investigation – " Kakashi trailed off as he realized the futility of the situation.

"I suspect nothing, Hatake-san. Your duty is to protect Naruto until he can protect himself. Others will find out what happened that night," the Hokage said sternly. But he let his brown eyes betray his true feelings.

_'Look underneath the underneath'._

Kakashi allowed himself a small smile as he bowed and turned around to leave. He had been the ANBU's best tracker and was one of Konoha's foremost strategists. It was time to put those skills to good use.

He cracked his knuckles as he bounded over rooftops. He had a mission. But first, he had to pay someone a visit. He stopped at the Yamanaka flower shop, bantered with the cute blonde at the counter and continued on his way. Obito was waiting.

16/08/05


	9. Dogs, Foxes and a Wolf I

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (sadly). If I did the series would be named Kakashi.

Chapter 7-Dogs, Foxes and A wolf

Part 1

(A/N: Eh…this chapter is sort of fluffy and not much else. Sorry for the late update...was down with a serious case of flu...argh...and i really wanted to do individual reviewer responses this time too...sigh..but anyway thanks a million times to everyone who reviewed!)

Kakashi watched the boy writing. The past 3 weeks had been tough on the two of them, but it had been enlightening. He had not spent so much time in close proximity to anyone aside from his frequent missions. It was amazing really, that he had not blown up, killed the kid, killed anyone else, or killed himself in that time.

_'You're going soft' _that voice in his head cackled gleefully. Kakashi mentally rolled his eyes at it. He was not going soft. He was just-

A sudden crash startled him. Kakashi whirled around to see that one of the puppies had just knocked over a pile of scrolls that he had been using to teach Naruto. The puppy looked up at him and yipped before licking his face vigorously as he picked it up. It got a mouthful of his mask instead. Kakashi watched on, amused as the pup wrinkled its nose and sneezed. Kirane arrived on its heels and barked at the young nin-dog. It whined and wriggled into Kakashi's arms. He scratched behind its ears, as he avoided the death glares Kirane sent his way for spoiling her pup.

A few seconds later, 2 more rounds balls of energy bounded into the room, followed closely by Girashi. Naruto yelped as one of them knocked over his pot of ink in its enthusiastic attempts at giving him a tongue-bath. The other zoomed around the house, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Thankfully, his apartment was puppy-proof after having endured generations of ninken (A/N: I think ninken means nin-dogs in Japanese…not sure though, so someone please tell me if I'm wrong). Kakashi found himself grinning widely under his mask at the havoc they created. Yep, there was no doubt about it, he was going soft.

_'It's a sign you're growing old. Losing our touch are we? Stuck here …babysitting! Bah, that's a D-rank mission, C-rank at best because you're doing bodyguard duty too. What would-' _Kakashi refused to listen to the voice any longer.

"I thought you brought them out to _train_?" he asked Kirane. She grinned at him toothily. He shook his head in mock disappointment at her. She nudged his leg and proffered a whistle to him. He took it from her mouth at blew it twice. The sound produced was inaudible to the human ear, but the dogs stood at attention immediately. Kirane looked at him proudly, she and Girashi had succeeded in teaching the puppies the first of many commands needed. Eventually, they would be able to communicate with him mentally, but learning to obey the whistle was the first step.

The dogs and Naruto were looking at him expectantly, even Girashi and Kirane who knew what was coming next. Kakashi smiled inwardly and beckoned the kid over. He handed him the whistle.

"Blow once and point in one direction, they'll move. Blow twice again and they'll stop", he whispered in the boy's ears. Naruto took it with trembling hands. Kakashi watched intently as the boy blew the whistle once. The dogs moved as one to the left. Naruto glanced up at Kakashi who eye-smiled at him encouragingly. He wanted the boy to learn how to work with the dogs-it was for his own safety. Kakashi was after all, a practical person. Despite his seeming aloofness from life and all the mundane things that came with it, he was very much grounded in reality.

Naruto was in danger. As with any extremely successful shinobi who had been around for a while, he had his fair share of people out for his neck. Glory seekers, assassins, angry avengers, you name them, he'd seen them. He was, of course, sympathetic to the wronged bereaved relatives and friends who wanted revenge. But it simply wasn't in his nature to roll over and die simply because they wanted him to. Then again, if he'd killed them, it could only mean that they were a shinobi, or a civilian who had gotten caught up in shinobi business.

If the person who he had killed was a ninja, then the grieving loved ones had no business coming after him. Death was a ninja's closest companion. Of course, that didn't stop him from wanting to kill the bastard who had killed Rin…but that was another story.

Thus, by simple association alone, Naruto would be a target from such people. And if that wasn't enough, the kid had dangerous problems of his own. He only had an entire village out for his blood, thinking that he was the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Naruto happened to live in that village too. It was up to Kakashi to teach him how to protect himself and to protect him until he was able to do so.

He watched the kid go through the motions a few more time, mentally heaving a sigh of relief. Nin dogs were normally picky-they wouldn't obey anyone unless they were a summoned by that someone. It was also very hard to obtain their summons, though they were one of the most loyal summons. Thus, Kakashi had not been sure if the dogs would respond to Naruto, and that would have put a serious kink in his plans. But he'd trusted his guts and picked up on tiny cues from the dogs, and it had worked out.

He placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder and gestured at Kirane and Girashi. They disappeared immediately with the pups. It had been a long day for all of them. "Tired?" he asked Naruto.

The child shook his head energetically. Kakashi eye-smiled at the boy again, glad to see Naruto perking up finally. He remembered what the psychiatrist had told him after last week's session. "Naruto-kun. I have some good news for you", he said, injecting forced cheerfulness into his voice.

Naruto looked up. "I can go outside on my own?" he asked hopefully.

"Well, not on your own yet. But it's something close to that. Irane-san has agreed to let you return to school finally".

"Oh", the boy's face fell unexpectedly. Kakashi frowned and squatted down to eye-level. It was habit for him to do that when Naruto was reticent-it made it easier for him to read the boy. As a jounin, he was normally very good at reading people effortlessly. It was just something he could do. Naruto though, was different. He seemed extroverted, but in reality he was anything but. His evasion tactics were as good as any ANBU's really.

"You don't like school very much?"

"Iie".

"Hokage-sama told me you liked school", Kakashi's frown grew deeper.

"Hai, I do. It's just that I…I like it here better than at home. And…I'll miss the dogs".

Kakashi caught the silent implication that he would be missed as well.

'_Underneath the underneath'. _He smiled gently this time. "Ne, Naruto. This is your home now", he said gently. "And while the puppies will miss you at your afternoon training sessions, you do need to get an education. Besides, I presume you still want to be a shinobi?"

"Of course, old man".

"Eh? I thought you said I was too young?"

"Yah. But you're still much older than me", Naruto said impishly. Kakashi raised a bemused eyebrow at him. He had learned not to be so touchy about his age. He looked out a window and caught sight of the setting afternoon sun.

"Ah. It's dinnertime. Get dressed, Naruto".

"Huh?"

"We're going out for dinner, to celebrate your return to school".

"Yosh! Let's go eat ramen!" Kakashi made a face at that.

"Ne, Naruto, don't you get sick of eating ramen all the time?"

"Of course not".

"Well, I do. And seeing as how I'm paying…" Naruto's shoulders slumped in defeat, he stuck his tongue out at Kakashi.

"Alright old man. So long as we aren't having disgusting eggplant soup again!"

His eyebrow twitched at that. Maybe he wasn't as nonchalant about his age as he thought. As for his eating habits…they weren't very compatible with Naruto's. The kid had taken a sip of eggplant soup and spewed it all over the table his first night here. Odd…he remembered slurping up every last bit his mother had made when he was as young as 3. A hand tugging at his pants brought him back to the present. "Can we go now? I'm hungry", Naruto said plaintively, his big blue eyes begging Kakashi. The jounin took his hand and they stepped out.

(A/N: Ok this chap's not over yet…so stay tuned for an update in a few days if you want to read more angst! Oh yah...Gai appears again too...)


	10. Dogs, Foxes and a Wolf II

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (sadly). If I did the series would be named Kakashi.

Chapter 7-Dogs and Foxes and a Wolf

Part 2

(A/N: Ok…on with the boring transition part…oh yea…Gai appears here again…Originally, according to my timeline, Uchiha Ryuuga was supposed to appear in this part…but Gai sort of wormed his way in…oops. Oh well, on with the fic.)

Night had fallen rapidly, and the sky was already darkened as the odd pair walked down the street. Naruto was ambling slightly behind Kakashi, soaking in the sights he had missed seeing for a month.

Kakashi wondered where he should bring the kid. He finally decided on going to get some okonomiyaki and sushi at a nearby café. It was a tiny thing tucked away in a corner of a section of Konoha that was less-frequented by shinobi. Most of the patrons were civilians, but he knew the owner well enough for it not to matter. He walked toward a fork in the road before he realized that he couldn't hear Naruto's soft shuffle anymore. He whirled around and caught sight of Naruto standing stock still in an elderly woman's grip.

"What were you thinking about? Staring at my house like that! We don't want the likes of you here, yah hear me? Get away monster. It's bad enough that they let you live here", she hollered.

"Ano sa…gomen. I was just-"she never gave him a chance to finish. The old woman pushed him to the ground and raised her cane to thwack him on the head. Naruto cringed back in expectation of a blow that never came. Kakashi was standing in front of Naruto, his arms crossed, slouching lazily.

The old woman though was quaking in her shoes at the menacing aura that radiated off him. "Is there a problem here?"

"Iie, shinobi-san. I was just telling this trash to clear off", she said, bowing to him respectfully. Kakashi could feel bile rising in his throat at her deference to him. He took a deep breath, trying to regain his famed control. When Kakashi got mad, it was usually a cold icy rage. This time though, he could feel blood pounding in his ears, and the sudden fierce urge to just reach out and shake the woman grabbed him. He would have done it if that would make her see reason. Unfortunately, he knew her ilk, and appealing to logic was impossible when faced with them. So he took another breath.

"This **child**", Kakashi bit out each word, "Is under **my **protection. Hit him, and you give me reason to hurt you".

"H-Hai", the woman stuttered before fleeing back to the safety of her house.

_'Run…run. But you cannot hide…'_

He suppressed the psychopathic desire to go after her. Of course, the voice was telling the truth. If he really wanted to, it would be ridiculously easy for him to kill her.

_'Just one swift slash across her throat. Lovely warm blood splattering out'._

He watched the woman walk away with disgust. Was this what his sensei, Rin and Obito had given their lives for? Was this what he had lost countless of comrades and his entire family for? He protected the village. And in doing so, he risked his life for people like that old woman, and like those who had beaten an innocent child up. It made him question himself and his entire life. He looked down at the quivering, blank-eyed kid behind him. He knew the boy was reliving the horrifying incident that had occurred a month ago.

He sighed softly. Today had been going so well too. He picked up the boy and put him on his shoulders, before leaping off toward the apartment. His own crisis of faith could be dealt with later.

Once there, he summoned Pakkun. "Stay with him", he said. Pakkun was already licking the boy comfortingly. He yipped at Naruto's limp hand, trying to get him to stroke them. Kakashi flashed back to earlier that day when Naruto had been rolling around with the puppies. The difference between now and then was heartbreaking.

He had been doing so well…and that old hag had destroyed everything with just a few careless words. He rubbed his forehead wearily. Food…they needed food. He stepped out into the chilly night and decided to pick up some meat for Kirane and her pups. Then he stood there for a while, bag of meat in hand, unsure of what to do now. He looked up at the night sky. The moon was full; much like it had been when his sensei had died.

_Fire. Fire burn so bright. The terrifying demonic aura of the snarling demon threatened to overwhelm him. How could any creature be so evil? It shook him to the core, that any creature could be so malicious, so whimsical as to want to destroy an entire village for the fun of it. _

_But in Yondaime, the Kitsune had met its match. And the young wolf took comfort in the thought. He began forming seals again, flying to the aid of his fellow ANBU who were standing there, stunned into despair. They had to distract the fox while Yondaime readied the jutsu._

_The creature roared and knocked a few ANBU away like a tiger swiping at tiny mice. "Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu", he yelled. He was taking a gamble here. Water, against fire, it was worth a chance. The column of liquid hurtled toward the Kyuubi, only to hit it with a loud hiss. The Kyuubi was a firefox. Water, was an annoyance more than anything else._

_It roared again, louder this time. Shit…shit. Ok, think. Water doesn't work against fire. What about grass? No…burn too easily. Air? No, it wouldn't work. Stone. He would use stone. He knew many Stone Village Kinjutsus. Stone was impenetrable. Fire burned everything to crisp. But he had seen many a Stone Nin defend against fire jutsus before. He risked a look back at the others. There were only 2 left out of the 3 squads that had protecting the Hokage._

_He had to try. He formed the seals quickly and quietly as the monster advanced. Huge stone balls bounded toward the Kyuubi. It screamed in rage and smashed them with its fiery tails. Suddenly its gruesome face loomed near. The heat was terrifying and his heart flailed. He caught sight of the ANBU making special signs. He had had little time to study them before; it was his first day on the job. But he knew this one. Retreat. He shook his head and pointed at his sensei._

_The owl looked back and spotted the child. The wolfi signed furiously in standard sign language. "Jutsu. We have to stall. Hokage's orders". The owl eyed him before it nodded. They had a job to do._

_It signed back in normal sign language. "Coordinate jutsus. Stone and water. You do stone. The rest of us will focus on water. Alternate them". Kakashi nodded his assent._

_The Kyuubi screamed again and moved forward. The young ANBU took a deep breath. No time like the present to start._

_He started another jutsu. Huge stone golems appeared and advanced toward the Kyuubi. It lashed out with a tail and knocked one of them over. The others took this opportunity to bombard it with water jutsus of every type. But there was only so much they could do without a lake in sight._

_The Kyuubi leapt forward, disregarding puny humans. It brought out its claws and lashed outward again. The wolf watched hopelessly as it swept all the other ANBU into the air. The owl though was still on the ground. Kakashi's eyes darted furiously as his genius mind worked. He had to do something. He'd promised Obito, and Rin. _

_He impulsively leapt forward, creating a large ball of white chakra in his hand. The unfamiliar chakra distracted the Kyuubi's attention and it veered, changing direction with a rapidity that caught the wolf off guard. He froze for an instant at the menacing sight before his training kicked in and he threw himself out of the way. It screamed again as a clawed hand reached out to swipe at him._

_The wolf jumped again, barely avoiding the blow. The monster charged again, stretching its horrible visage in a gruesome imitation of a grin, and the wolf shuddered as he realized that the Kyuubi was toying with him. He could feel weariness catching up with him as he performed another jutsu. He barely had any chakra left._

_Suddenly, the Kyuubi disappeared from view. The only warning he had was a whisper of air above him. He vaulted out of the way of what resembled a meteor shower. His foot caught on a tree root and he flew to the ground at an amazing rate as flaming rocks descended and pinned him to the ground as they seared his pale flesh._

_"Little human. So tiny. So young. So pesky. Wonder how you taste…" the demon chuckled. One of its tails sped through the air with inhuman speed. Kakashi closed his eyes and waited. The end was here. So be it. It wasn't that he wanted to die. He just didn't want to live either. Still, he couldn't feel as though he had failed Obito._

_The strike never came. A large toad, Gamabunta jumped out, spraying a stream of fiery oil into the air. The Kyuubi shrieked and wheeled away. Gamabunta followed, its strong legs easily pacing the bigger creature._

_As the toad boss disappeared from view, Kakashi caught sight of a tall, yellow-haired figure clad in a white coat with flames adorning the bottom atop it. Sensei. He thrashed under the weight of the rocks, desperate to get up, knowing fully well that Kazuma Arashi would need a distraction while he sealed the creature. _

_His efforts were futile-the rocks were too heavy and he had little chakra left. Still, he had to get out. He heaved his arm out off a jagged rock, wincing as it tore a long deep line across his arm. He concentrated on building his chakra. Chidori. The jutsu demolished the rocks in instants. He struggled to his feet and regretted it an instant later as his back met with the hard, scorched floor. He gazed up at the sky. It was a full moon. Full moons were said to drive people mad. Perhaps that was why the Kyuubi had attacked? The moon had caused an imbalance in its brain?_

_The young wolf laughed hysterically. The ground beneath him had once been smooth and green. He used to train here with his brother when he was younger. Now all he could see was brown and red stained it. Everywhere around him lay the broken bodies of leaf shinobi. All dead, for what? The senseless actions of a beast? Were the lives of shinobi truly so meaningless that they lived and died at the whims of another?_

_He clambered to his feet again, swaying desperately. Chakra overuse. He absentmindedly diagnosed himself out of habit. He followed the trail. It was easy really. The fox had left destruction in its wake. Broken trees and huge furrows peppered the landscape. His heart wrenched at the sight of the once lively forest. _

_He stumbled on slowly. The path ended here. He looked around, but there was no sign of the Kyuubi anywhere. He stretched out his chakra sense. No sign of his sensei. A sudden flare of chakra startled him. He turned around swiftly to see Enma, Sandaime's summon holding a bundle in his arms. _

_"He's done it then?" He asked Sandaime, knowing the old man was standing behind him._

_"Aah…how he had the courage to leave the boy, I'll never know", Sarutobi sighed. The wolf glanced at him sharply. Sandaime sounded tired, like an old man who had seen too much and lived too much. But he could not afford to give in to it now. With Yondaime gone, the village was leaderless. Their people were still healing from the recently concluded war. This would be the opportune time for some enemy to strike. Konoha needed Sandaime's leadership now._

_Sandaime glanced over to Kakashi as though sensing the boy's unease. He smiled softly and sadly. "We will go on without him"._

_Unspoken was the understanding that they would **have **to go on. There was no alternative. Kakashi's legs chose that moment to buckle under him. His last thought as he was plunged into darkness was that he had lost his last precious person._

Raindrops pelted him and drew him back to the present. What to buy?

_Ramen._

He grinned at that. If there was one thing Naruto had definitely inherited from his father, it was his unnatural fondness for the salty noodles. He found his feet taking him to a well-lit ramen stand. It was Ichiraku's, and the owner was closing for the day. He stopped when he saw Kakashi and smiled.

"Late night, Hatake-san?"

"Aah. Two bowls of miso ramen to go please".

It had been so long time since he had frequented the stand. In the past, sensei would often drag him and the other to the stand in the name of team-bonding. He looked at the empty seats in the corner. He could almost see them now…Obito and Yondaime slurping up their ramen as fast as they could. Rin would be cheering Obito on…urging him to eat faster than sensei. And he…he would besitting a little away from them, his own ramen already finished, observing the trio furtively from the outside.

"Hatake-san, here's your ramen".

"Ah, arigato".

"It's no problem. Haven't seen you here in a while. Not since…" the older man trailed off.

"Gomen. I've been busy. I forgot how much I liked the ramen here".

"So, you have company tonight?"

"Huh? Oh yes. How did you know?" The chef smiled knowingly. "Two bowls. You ordered two bowls. I've never seen you eat more than 1 at a time. You've always only eaten one". Kakashi was surprised at how well the stand owner knew him.

"You would have made a good shinobi. Your observation skills are good".

"Iya. It's just that you've been coming here for so long. And Ayane used to-" he stopped, fearing he'd said too much.

Kakashi blushed under the mask, outwardly keeping his face impassive. Ayane was the shop owner's very pretty daughter. She was older than him by a year, and she used to have a bad crush on him. "She's not here today?"

"Yes. She's tending to her aunt. Tomoyo's pregnant with a fourth and she has two younglings". Kakashi nodded to the other man.

"Well, I'll be seeing you around then. Ja ne".

Kakashi spent the journey home pondering on his sudden sociable behavior. He usually never said more than a few words, even when on mission. But Naruto chattered constantly, talking about everything and anything. His chattiness was usually a good indicator of his mood and Kakashi had realized that a silent Naruto was a troubled one.

So he had taken to engaging the boy, encouraging his questioning mind, and somehow the habit had carried over to other parts of his life. It was disturbing.

He reached the apartment, nodded absentmindedly to the baa-san at the ground level and got up the stairs, only to be waylaid by Gai. "My eternal rival! It has been too long! Were you injured? NO! This is too much! I wanted to be the first one to defeat you!" Kakashi blinked. He refrained from pointing out the fact that Tsunade-sama had once flicked him on the head and sent him halfway across Konoha for being an "impudent brat!" and he was by no means invincible.

"Gai, excuse me, I have something to get to". Gai spotted the ichiraku bag in Kakashi's hands. "Ramen for dinner! We have similar tastes, my rival". Kakashi groaned and fidgeted. He wanted to check on Naruto.

"Let us have dinner together! I bought ramen as well", Gai held up his own bag, beaming at his friend. Kakashi considered the possibility and discarded it immediately. "No, this is not a good time", he said dismissively, ignoring his guilty conscience.

He **had **shared meals with the other in the past. Sadly, he also owed a great many favors, and not to mention his life, to Gai. The green spandex-clad jounin had helped him many times in the past when he had staggered home wounded and emotionally drained from an ANBU mission. The very presence of another human had been what had stopped him from sitting on his bed, bleeding to death, or even drowning himself in the bathtub.

Gai's face fell, before breaking out into a scarily toothsome grin. "You finally have a girlfriend!"

Kakashi somehow prevented his eyes from bugging out as he replied. "No".

Gai smiled again. "Then what is the problem?"

"I…" Kakashi hesitated. True, Naruto was fragile right now. But the whole purpose of buying ramen for dinner was to cheer him up by distracting him with food. And Gai **was** a very good distraction. He turned to the other jounin. "Gai, I need a favor", he said seriously.

The other man's eyes widened before he nodded. Kakashi rarely asked for favors, and while Gai went around proclaiming that Kakashi was his eternal rival, the truth was far from that. One might called them friends, if men like Kakashi and Gai had friends that is. "What is it?" he replied seriously.

Kakashi was always surprised at the other man's transformation from wacky idiot to village jounin. He knew the other man was a good shinobi and the best taijutsu exponent in Konoha, which was saying a lot considering that Leaf hosted the Hyuuga clan and their infamous Jyuuken style. Bust most times, Gai acted the fool. Most thought that that was Gai's true persona. Kakashi knew better. It was a mask. A front put up against the world. After all, anyone who knew shinobi could tell you that all jounin were crazy eccentric bastards. Gai was just more…unique than most.

So you had people like Kakashi, his chronic lateness and physical mask, Gai and his odd proclamations and spandex, Genma and Asuma and their respective oral fixations, Jiraiya-sama and his perverted nature, and of course Yondaime and his abnormal cheerfulness and ramen addiction. The rank of jounin, it was said, was cursed. Or maybe it was the torturous jounin exam that drove that all over the brink of insanity…

"There's a kid staying with me. Hokage-sama assigned me to him for protection". Gai understood everything in those two sentences. "Something happened on our way to dinner…he's not well".

"What's his name?" Kakashi hesitated again. While he knew the man had a good heart, he had seen many turn into unrecognizable monsters at the mention of the Kyuubi Gaki. He need not have worried though-Gai tolerated, and even respected, silver wolves, why not fire foxes?

"Uzumaki Naruto". Gai's eyes narrowed, before they softened. Most of Konoha knew by now about what had happened to the Kyuubi container. Kakashi let loose a breath he had not been aware of holding and turned to the door of his apartment.

"Let me go first. I don't want to startle him". He entered the hall to find Naruto playing fetch with Pakkun. He stifled a laugh at the sight of the bossy, dignified dog playing a child's game. Naruto, it seemed, did not affect just him.

"I'm home!" those words warmed his heart. Kakashi hadn't had anyone to say them to for a long time. He didn't know why he'd said it either, but it had just seemed right.

"I bought food for you, from Ichiraku's. It's a nice restaurant, my own sensei used to drag me there all the time. I'll bring you there another day, ok?" Kakashi babbled, trying to elicit a response from Naruto. He sighed, when in doubt, go with the obvious. "It's miso ramen". The boy's eyed lit up at that.

"Ramen!" he yelled. Kakashi and Pakkun rolled their eyes at that. The kid was so predictable at times. "I brought a friend for dinner", he said lightly.

"A friend?" Naruto stooped his celebration as Gai walked into the room. The boy surveyed the stranger, a somber look on his face. "He looks even **weirder **than _you_!" the boy proclaimed.

"Naruto…" Kakashi said warningly. "How rude of you! Never mind, it is foreseeable that one who burns so brightly with the flame of youth should make some mistakes!"

Naruto looked stunned by the weird statements. Then he spotted the Ichiraku Ramen bag in Gai's arms. "Ramen!" he continued his previous merrimentand made a beeline for the bag. It was Gai's turn to stare in astonishment, speechless for once.

Kakashi yanked the back of his shirt with slightly more force than he intended and brought Naruto tumbling to the floor ungracefully. The boy scowled at him. Kakashi ignored him. "Your ramen is here", he said curtly, temper fraying thin at both of their theatrics. The boy looked up at him and grinned wildly.

"Arigato, Kakashi-nii!" he chirped. Gai looked at Kakashi slightly. He looked away. Naruto had taken to calling him Onii-san sometimes, and frankly, Kakashi didn't know what to make of it. Part of him was astonished by the kid's easy acceptance, another part was warmed by the knowledge that Naruto had respect him and think of him as family in such a short time, yet another part was alienated. Kakashi was confused at the moment and scared really at the implication of the word. Family was something he had lost before he was Naruto's age.

His mother had died when he was three. He knew little of her, except that she had been very pretty, cooked eggplant soup, and had been a hunter-nin. His father had never been home until he lost his honor and with it his mind; he had died when Kakashi was 7.

Takashi, his aniki, had really been the only family he had known. He had been a jounin and had died when Kakashi was 6, a month before his otouto had made Genin. Kakashi remembered spending his graduation day in mourning, and alone. The White Fang had been out on mission. He recalled how excitedly he had rushed home, hoping to the news he had made Genin would pull Sakumo out of his depression, only to find a terse note on the kitchen door. Kakashi had often wondered how different his life would be if Takashi were alive. But regrets were not for this day-he had ramen to serve.

He poured the ramen into three bowls and walked over, somehow managing to transport everything over without spilling a single drop. Naruto, as usual, scarfed down the entire bowl in record time. This time though, Kakashi finished before him. Naruto's eyes bugged out.

"H…How did you do that?" he demanded, pointing his finger at Kakashi in shock.

"I had a good teacher", Kakashi replied. The blonde kid sat down with a huff.

"Kakashi! You have not introduced me!" Gai demanded.

"Ah, yes. Uzumaki Naruto, meet Maito Gai".

"Such a simple introduction is unworthy of me! I am Konoha's foremost taijutsu expert, Maito Gai, the Beautiful Green Beast!" Kakashi grinned. He had great fun watching others eyes boggle when Gai did that. Naruto though, was not most people.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto, and I will be the future Hokage one day!" he hollered. Gai stood up and towered over the kid before enlightening him about the greatness of Konoha's Green Beast. Naruto responded with an equally egoistic remark. Kakashi smirked broadly. It was amusing to watch Gai being bested in loudness and boasting by a six-year old. On second thought, it was terrifying.

Pakkun ambled over to watch the show and plopped himself in Kakashi's lap. "And I thought _you_ were crazy", the nin-dog remarked to its master.

"So the kid has some talent at getting nin-dogs to obey, eh? A potential successor, perhaps?" Kakashi was disconcerted by the question so he avoided it by relying on a tactic he had used since he was a child. When confused, say nothing. "Ah", he replied.

Pakkun glared at him, miffed at the reticent reply. "Why do I even bother?" the dog muttered angrily. Kakashi eye-smiled at it and Pakkun grumbled before settling down. He knew Kakashi was unhinged. It was just that ever since he quit the ANBU and taken in that blonde kid, he had grown even weirder. Kirane had commented that their master smiled more. Pakkun agreed. In fact, what he found most unsettling were the jounin's odd smiles. They were odd on the kid's face. The Kakashi he was used to never smiled. He could be kind sometimes, yes. Like when he rubbed them all down after tiring missions, or when he let the pups tear his house to shreds whenever they needed the exercise. He was good-hearted and loyal to the fault, sharing much of his summons characteristics. It was why they had stuck with him through all the rough patches. But he was never pleasant, not until now.

The kid then, was the reason for the change. Actually, Pakkun could understand why. The brat was just so loud and bright, it took a lot to stay gloomy and morose around him. When the kid was sad though, it was unnatural and it made you want to cheer him up. Naruto, the nin-dog thought sagely, really was a piece of work. He was displaced when Kakashi stood to make tea and break out the shougi board.

Kakashi invited Gai to a game of taijutsu and Gai accepted with a nervous grin. The taijutsu expert was passable at the game, just barely. Naruto watched them both intently and Kakashi was surprised that the young boy could sit still for so long. Déjà vu crept over him as he sipped hot tea while explaining a move to Naruto. He could almost hear Yondaime teasing him.

'_Kakashi-kun, you should know better than to move that there. I'll just take it. Tsk. Tsk. I thought you were a genius?'_

He pushed all memories away, and smiled when Naruto laughed at a comment from Gai. It was nice, he decided, to smile.

Eventually, Naruto yawned, fatigue creeping up on him. The emotional rollercoaster he had gone through, from being happy, to disappointed, then happy again, and then depressed, before finally being restored to his normal hyper mood, had taken a heavy toll on both his body and mind. Kakashi's eyes noticed the sleepy boy and he decided to end the game in a single move.

"No! My rival has defeated me, yet again. The count is 23 to 28 now!" Gai yelled with tears streaming down his eyes.

"Naruto-kun, it's time to go to bed for you".

"But Kakashi nii-san…" the boy whined.

"Naruto. Bed. Now", Kakashi said, fervently hoping the boy would not have nightmares again. The frequency of his dreams had decreased in the past weeks and had finally stopped this week. He prayed that today's incident would not trigger off another round of nightmares. Especially not when the boy had school the next day.

"Do I really have to? I was having fun!" Naruto pouted.

"You have school tomorrow", he sternly reminded the boy.

Naruto sighed and started off toward the bathroom. He hated going to sleep. It was in his nature, as a 6-year old boy, to want to stay awake forever. If only Kakashi would let him…he sighed moodily and stomped off in a childish tantrum. It was so unfair…

Kakashi watched the boy go bemusedly. "Maybe you should have let him stay awake a while more", Gai suggested worriedly. Kakashi looked over at him., smiling as he realized that Gai was as clueless as he had been at first.

"Iya, he needs his sleep. Don't worry, he changes moods faster than Anko", he said. They both snickered at the thought of the mercurial ANBU member. Anko, as a child, had been a rude, cold, snobbish genius. Anko as a teenager was a loud, boisterous sadist. She had changed a lot. Kakashi sobered at that. She had changed after Orochimaru had left, and no one knew when he was coming back.

He let Naruto say goodbye to Pakkun and Gai before walking the latter out. "So, dinner was nice, eh? We should do this again", Gai said as he opened the door.

"Yes. We should", Kakashi said truthfully this time. Gai turned to leave.

"Ah, Gai", the jounin paused. "Arigato", Kakashi said quietly, the unfamiliar word rolling off his tongue awkwardly. Hatake Kakashi rarely had occasion to thank anyone. He lived isolated of the world, independent of all of them. But no man was an island, as he was slowly learning. And this was a start.

Gai turned around again, a small smile playing at his lips, his eyes serious. "Take care of him, he's special". Kakashi smiled back for once. "I don't let my precious ones die, Gai", he said, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he processed them. Gai nodded and returned to his own apartment, two doors down from Kakashi's.

Kakashi returned to the apartment and found Naruto already asleep. He washed the ramen bowls and sat on his couch for some time as the implication of his words sunk in. Somehow, deep down inside, he had known. Naruto was a precious person, and he would do everything to protect him. All the more reason for him to find out who had attacked the boy.

The full moon winked down at them that night. Naruto slept soundlessly. He had another long day tomorrow.

(A/N: That's all folks! Hee...Naruto goes to school next chapter...but you might have to wait long for another update because school's starting again...and i, as always, have a load of tests...sigh...anyway remember to read and review! And thank you to all the wonderful peeps who have done so so far...)


	11. The World and Its Ways I

Chapter 8-The world and its ways

Part 1

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine…I would have named the series Kakashi…

(A/N: Ok…chapter 8 part 1...version 2…why version 2? Well, because I had 3 different starts to this chap before finally scrapping everything and starting from the very beginning…oh well, Uchiha Ryuuga finally makes an appearance again in part 2 of this chapter…he's one of those characters that sort of run away from what you have planned for them…oh yes, and for those of you who like action…I make my first real attempt at it in this chapter…hope you like it! Please remember to read and review…I know from experience that it's really hard to review...but please…reviews are an author's lifeblood. Review responses are at the bottom of this chapter.)

'b'- thoughts

"b"- speech

b – flashback

**b - **emphasis

Naruto yawned sleepily and rubbed his eyes as he ate breakfast. He took a bite of the toast and frowned. Buttered toast was warm and crunchy and nice. But it was not ramen. How was he supposed to get through the day without his ramen?

At least he got to go to school today. Then again, going to school was not necessarily a good thing. After all, it was the reason he had had to wake up so early today. Naruto was not really sure that he wanted to see the glaring face of his teacher. But it was not like he had a choice.

"So, are you ready?"

"Eh? Oh, ya. Let's go", the boy said, stuffing the bread into his mouth and filching a second piece from the plate. The pair stepped through the doorway before Kakashi slipped his mask over his neck. Naruto watched the action with interest.

"Ano, Kakashi-nii, why do you always where a mask outside?"

"Huh?" Kakashi stopped his descent down the worn steps of the apartment. "Oh that…well", he scratched the back of his head, "It's for me to know and for you to find out", he said cheerfully, eye-smiling at the kid's stricken expression.

They continued down the flight of stairs and out of the apartment building. Naruto had to run to keep up with Kakashi's long, fast strides. The shinobi was distracted today and Naruto was curious. But he said nothing – the kid had learned not to pry.

With Naruto going back to school, Kakashi would be receiving missions again on a regular basis. Kakashi just hoped that they were not of the S-rank variety, especially considering his last one just a few weeks ago. 2 months spent away from the ANBU had considerably dulled his skills. He had barely uncovered the deception on his last mission…

_Kakashi narrowed his eyes as he stared down at the camp in the clearing below. His mission briefing had entailed the assassination of a group of mercenaries and the destruction of a scroll in their possession. It was easy, as far as S-rank missions went. The reason it even had so high a classification was because the scroll in question held sensitive information about Fire and Wave. The mercenary group was also rather huge and comprised of swordsmen, and was led by a ronin. _

_There had been no mention of nukenin or any shinobi involvement at all. And yet, something was amiss here. Kakashi counted 6 2-man tents and1 large command tent. During the day though, he had sensed 17 different chakra signatures. It was plausible, he supposed, that a few men were standing watch. But if so, he would surely have detected them. Unless, they were no ordinary swordsmen._

_Kenjutsu practitioners, by virtue of their stringent training, often had strong chakras. Due to the way they trained, their chakra was often unwieldy and hard to control, thus being easy to sense. Some swordsmen though, trained their chakra, or ki, as they referred to spirit energy. As such, they could easily mask their chakra signatures. Still, he was no rookie to be fooled so easily…_

_Kakashi opened his senses more, aware that this was increasing his risk of detection. He concentrated on the tents first. 11 energy signatures flared. But something was not right. He probed deeper, they were not as strong as he expected and one flickered periodically. He widened his scope, silently performing a jutsu to aid him. He sniffed the air, catching a myriad of senses. Metal, and rust filled his senses, but there was no sign of humans at all. He frowned that was not right._

_His senses tingled abruptly and he froze. He smelled blood. Human blood. He summoned his nin-dogs. Something was afoot here._

_A sudden brush of air was the only warning he got. Kakashi dove through the foliage, jumping from branch to branch, trying to get away from the camp. _

_Whatever it was, it was very big, and very fast. Shuriken flew out of the trees at him and Kakashi dodged effortlessly, his hands sending out a barrage of his own the moment his mind calculated their trajectories and determined the enemy nin positions. The sound of blood spraying told him he had hit his mark at least once. _

_A burst of lightning crackled toward him and he leapt away, sending kunai in the direction of the blast. He had to conserve his chakra – there were 4 of them and things would get messy of there was a fight. _

_He recognized the area now. They were rapidly approaching the eastern border of Konoha. If memory served, there was a large clearing a few miles out. The camp was miles behind them and he now knew the numbers of his pursuers. It was time for things to go his way. Kakashi's hands flashed through the night air, forming the seals of his sensei's favorite jutsu. Shunshin no Jutsu. _

_He dogs and him were instantly transported to the clearing. He sent Pakkun back to the camp, ordering him to alert him if they were mobilized. It was probably a futile measure, but Pakkun would not be of use to him in the coming battle anyway. He ordered the rest of the dogs to hide and set to work rigging traps. He knew he had scant minutes before they tracked him down. The nukenin, had to be, A-level, perhaps even S-level to have tricked him that way._

_The smell of blood filled his senses and he turned calmly to face the quartet and their menacing pet. It was a giant snarling wolf. The fact that he had stopped told him that they wanted to play. Normal people did not pause for a chat in the middle of hostile encounters. But shinobi were far from normal and missing-nins were the craziest of the lot._

_Kakashi slouched insolently as he stood in front of them. One of them, possibly the leader, smirked at him. "Well, well, well. What do we have here? A little Konoha ninja, caught on our trap". Kakashi's gaze slid over the guy. Black hair, dark eyes, diagonal slash over his face. Kakashi felt a chill run down his spine as he met the other's eyes. Dareda Kuro. One of Stone's most illustrious nins who had left when Leaf and Stone had allied. 'A' class nukenin._

_"You are scared, I can see it in your eyes, gaki", he said contemptuously. _

_"We should not underestimate him. Your reputation precedes you, Copy nin", a tall, broad-shouldered man with a scratched cloud hitai-ate said. His left shoulder was ripped._

_"Keh, you're only saying that because he wounded you. I'm insulted they only sent one after us", a third, younger man, wearing a disfigured mist hitai-ate remarked scornfully._

_"Leaf, has always underestimated others. But Yura is right, we should not underestimate him. It's been a long time, eh Kakashi-sempai? I see you're still the Hokage's loyal dog", bitterness laced her words. Kakashi's eyes widened at the familiar voice as she stepped into view. Minagata Yuki. Former Leaf-nin and his fellow ANBU squad mate, until 3 years ago when she went rogue. B class missing-nin. He ignored her taunts._

'_Go!' he mentally commnded his nin-dogs. They hurtled out of their hiding spots, taking the nukenin by surprise. Kakashi sprang into action. _

"_Katon: Goukayuu no Jutsu". The cloud-nin blocked it with ease, jumping to the left, and falling neatly into Kakashi's trap. A storm of shuriken flew at him as the ground gave way beneath his feet, revealing a thorn-filled pit. He vaulted through the air, contorting his body to avoid the shuriken. A single one nicked him across the back. But that distracted him long enough for Kakashi's thrown kunai to impale him. One down, 3 to go._

_He went after Yuki next, noticing that Kirane and Girashi were having trouble leading her into traps. Yuki knew how he worked, and that made her a bigger threat than any of the others. He ordered the Girashi to go help contain the wolf as he leapt toward her. Her twin kodachi flashed at alarming speeds as he barely dodged each one, ruing the day he had abandoned his own tanto._

_He took out a pair of kunai and lunged toward her, causing her to go on the defensive and shepherding her toward Kirane. She bared her teeth at him and shoved him back, driving him straight into something furry. The wolf. Kirane was busy ripping bits out of the downed Yuki to help him. The wolf's humongous paws batted Kakashi threw the air. He landed on his feet, only to be nearly beheaded by a rather worse-for-wear Dareda who had been fighting Fiani, his humongous nin-dog._

_The nukenin grinned maliciously, as Kakashi twisted his body and stumbled, before diving for the silver haired jounin's exposed neck as the wolf lunged from behind. Kakashi was cornered. His nin-dogs had their hands full keeping the other two busy. Suddenly the mist-nin appeared out of nowhere, his katana raking down Kakashi's arm, leaving a burning line of bubbling blood._

_Kakashi was outnumbered. He had to even the odds. He raised his hitai-ate, exposing his Sharingan, and his face went slack. It was time to end this._

_A flurry of blows and the sound of a hundred chirping birds later, the battle was finished. He cast and eye over the nin-dogs before sending them back to their plane. Pakkun would have to be enough for the rest of this mission for the others could do no more._

_Kakashi raced through the treetops, wincing as his wound sent flares of pain up his right arm. He found the camp and formed a single seal. "Kai". The scene in front of him changed, revealing a campsite strewn with dead bodies. Blood soaked into Fire Country's land. His suspicions had been right. The mercenary group had been killed by the nukenin._

_Kakashi fished the scroll out of his pocket. All this carnage…for a piece of rice paper. Men killing other men for rules men had made over lines men had drawn over the land. That was the way of the world. And now he had the blood of four others on his conscience. One of them had once been a comrade. Pain gripped him for a moment at the thought. He had admired Yuki when he was 16. She would have been, what people called, his first crush – if he had been capable of such at the time. _

_And now Yuki of the laughing blue eyes and silky brown hair was gone. Killed by his own hands. Just like everyone else. And it hurt, goddammit. It hurt. Kakashi felt a wave of melancholy sweep over him. It was so hard to kill those he sympathized with. He had heard the bitterness in her voice today, just as he had heard it 3 years ago. If only he had done something then…Regret welled up inside of him. All he wanted to do was sit down on the blood-soaked ground and let it swallow him. But he couldn't._

_He built a fire, burned the scroll, not even bothering to open it. It was not his business. Besides, curiosity had killed the cat, and Kakashi couldn't die. _

_He flew through the browning trees, heading back to Konoha. He wanted to be back by dawn. There was a blonde kid to get home to._

(A/N: Ok…so this chap was basically one long action/flashback scene. Like, no like? Think I should write more action or never do it again? Then please review! This is me pleading at 11.30pm on a school night. And thanks once again to all my wonderful reviewers…you guys are the best! LoL…in part 2 of this chapter Naruto returns to school, and Kakashi has a…meeting with Naruto's teacher…and no, Iruka does not appear. According to continuity, he's about 2-3years younger than Kashi, which means he's 16…which I think is the age he became a Chuunin…which means I have to change some stuff in chap2…yeps…gd nite folks! Wait…read the responses below if you reviewed last chap!)

Chapter 10 review responses:

s-sama: hahaz…thanks for being patient! School is such a drag…wish I could stay home and write fanfic all day…don't you. I'm waiting with bated breath for your Kakashi time travel fic to be updated! Luv the idea by the way…and thank you so much for your reviews…they really cheer me up and encourage me to write more and you are one of my more loyal reviewers…I swear you've reviewed every chapter! So I give you a cupcake with a ANBU Kakashi on top (and no he's not dripping blood…its strawberry jam! LoL…)

Lyfe.exe: Thanks for the review…the vampire part was jus a bad joke cus there's one part where Kakashi wants to watch '_Lovely warm blood splattering out' _which makes vampish…hahaz sorry if I confused you!

MysteryLady-Tx: Hahaz…I've seen yr nick so many times I dun have to refer to the review page for it…LoL…i guess that's because you are another reviewer who faithfully reviews every chapter so thank you so much! Hahaz…and that Gai v.s. Naruto part was

inspired by some fluffy fic I read the other day…chibi Naru would sooo love to argue with Gai…and I can see Kashi rolling his eyes!

Madnarutofan: Thanks for all the reviews! You're close…very close to guessing…and I'm not sure if Itachi will be involved but I will be writing about him and Sasuke in the near future…provided this story progresses that far!

Tamara2187: Thank you! Your reviews always brighten up my day (especially when I read them at 6.30 in the morning before school starts!) Heh…do you want a cupcake with Kashi on top too? Hahaz…never mind…I shall give you one anywae…

Krows Scared: What? You don't have school anymore…arghh…so unfair…oh well I supposed you've already gone thru the torture already so its ok…Gai is so…humorous…and he keeps worming his way into my fic! Help! LoL…Heh…and yes poor characters…I like torturing them so…seriously thanks for the great reviews!

eyes0nme19: Thank you! Hope you liked this chapter!

Kagome13Chan: Thanks a lot! Reviews like your prompt me not to be lazy and update fast…so thanks…

cheerful-pinkstar: Hello! Thank you for the review…

d\: Thanks! Hope you like this chapter.

Naruto: Heh…I thought Kashi was a father type too…except he's too close in age to naru-chan! Acoording to canon, Kakashi is 26 and Naruto is 12…the age diff is only 14 years! In my fic, Naruto is 5/6 and Kashi is 19/20…so I guess brother is better…thanks for the review!

RockBane: Thank you! I will keep writing…hopefully…

windchaser90: hahaz…you are so not weird...i do read fics that make me cry too! You gave some really nice comments blushes but sadly you hav to take a rain check on that party…I dun see this fic ending anytime soon…my goal is to reach the canon time and write about Naruto as a 12-year old/15-year old…possibly as an adult…basically create my own version of Naruto-verse…so yeps its won't be over soon…tho I might abandon it for a while…

Kira-Reen

280805


	12. The World and Its Ways II

(A/N: Yo! I wrote this after a week-long writer's block…I think that's my longest spell yet with regards to this fic…this chapter is…weird…yeps…The story will be taking a darker turn soon…but Kakashi won't get to start on tracking the mastermind behind Naruto's attack yet...I know the plot development's really slow but bear with it kaez? Oh yea…remember to review if you liked it…or even if you didn't, ok?)

Chapter 8- The World and its Ways

Part 2

"Nii-san, aren't you coming in with me?" Naruto exclaimed. Kakashi realized with surprise that they had arrived at the Academy.

"Aah. Come, let's go. We're not late are we?" Naruto's panicked expression said enough.

"Never mind. It doesn't matter. I'll explain to the sensei".

"Hai",

Naruto said, his voice clearly told Kakashi that he didn't believe that it would make any difference.

"So…who teaches you?"

"Um…Hinagata-sensei", the boy said softly. The name didn't ring a bell so Kakashi let the subject matter drop. He let Naruto lead him to a room on the second floor. Kakashi stood outside inconspicuously as the 6-year old entered the class. He absentmindedly noted that the other students were all much bigger than Naruto. And hence, they were much older.

That was odd. Naruto had told him that he was only in his first year in the Academy. So why were the rest of his classmates 8-year olds? Kakashi himself had been a Chuunin at the kid's age…

Realization hit him. Konoha was no longer at war. And thus, they no longer needed to send out their children to a battlefield. It was a sure sign of peace that these kids got to experience as much of their childhood as they did before devoting the rest of their lives in service to the village.

He frowned at the thought. Konoha was no longer _openly_ at war. No shinobi village could ever truly be at peace, and leaf was no exception. This was clearly a sign that they were softening. Kakashi had a bad feeling that this would have severe repercussions in the future.

"You! You're late! Go and sit down at once! How many times have I told you to be on time!" a banshee's screeching brought Kakashi back to reality.

"Ano sa…I'm sorry for being 10 minutes late…nii-san – " Naruto was cut off by a loud shriek.

"Ten! You are an hour late!" She screeched pointing at the clock. "School starts at 7.00am from this term", she thundered.

Naruto quailed at her tone. But it wasn't in his nature to keep silent, and having Kakashi there gave him more courage. "But…I wasn't here at the end of last term…sensei!"

"That isn't my problem. Bad enough they let you into this place…" she trailed of as she realized the entire class was looking at her. "Go to your seat and do these problems. I can't be bothered with a kid who doesn't care enough to show up on time!" she snapped hurriedly and threw a book at him. The entire class snickered as he made his way up.

"Class!" Hinagata-sensei rapped on the table sharply. "Outside! Now! Start your warm-up. We're having tai-jutsu practice today".

Kakashi felt his ire rise at her treatment of Naruto. The students filed out hastily, chattering all the while.

"You! The next time you're late, I'm having you expelled! I'm barely tolerating-" Kakashi didn't give her a chance to finish.

"Ohayo, Hinagata-sensei".

"Eh?" she said, turning to the expected greeting.

"I hope you don't mind that Naruto-kun was late. It's my fault really. I got…lost", he lied cheerfully, eye-smiling at her.

"Lost?" she said, blinking at him.

"Hai. You see…we were taking the normal route to school when this old lady stopped me and asked me to help her carry her groceries. And being the kind-hearted loyal shinobi that I am, I could not refuse. So I carried them to her house in the woods. The problem is that Naruto and I got lost on the way back and we were wandering around the forest for quite a while. But being the nice person that you are, I am pretty sure that you will forgive us, ne?"

"Eh?" she said again, completely lost by now. "Ano…nii – "

That was all it took for her to snap back to herself. Kakashi gritted his teeth – Naruto had the worse timing in the world sometimes.

"What do you have to do with that…that **_thing_**?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed imperceptibly at that. He did not appreciate anyone calling his sensei's son names. Not when the boy had had his life ruined for the sake of the village. In the past few days, Kakashi was finding that being Naruto's guardian was driving him down a path of no return…which would end with him being a nukenin.

But Kakashi had also realized in those days, that violence was not the only weapon. So he smiled at her happily. "Hokage-sama has assigned me to him as his guardian".

"Oh. Well, then what are you doing in my classroom. I would have thought you would be happy to leave the brat in my care. I don't fancy you for having to drag him around".

"Naruto-_kun_", he said, making sure to emphasize the affectionate salutation, "Is no trouble at all".

The teacher gaped at him. "Hokage-sama appointed me as his guardian to make sure that no ill befalls him, in anyway", the glint in his eyes as he said that sent shivers down the other shinobi's back.

She straightened her back though. Her father had been killed by the Kyuubi's attacks upon the village. But she had lost not one but two parents that day – her civilian mother had died of heartbreak and left her to fend for herself. She had worked hard after that, getting a job at the academy to feed and send her younger siblings to school. Hinagata Saori was not one to be easily pushed around. Especially not by some weird-looking ninja who was defending the demon that had killed her parents.

Hatred made her blood boil every single time she caught sight of those demonic whisker scars and the accompanying blonde spikes. No other first-year teacher had been willing to accept the boy, but when the principal insisted, she had agreed. Hinagata was nothing if not practical. She could not afford to lose her job. Not with two other mouths dependent on her income. Everyday, she begged forgiveness from her Otou-san's spirit for not taking revenge for him.

So she stood up and faced the man, not caring that he was a Jounin and she a Chuunin.

"You know what he is", the malice in her voice nearly made Kakashi flinch. Hatred, he had discovered, was blind. And willful blindness was something even the most virtuous of people were often guilty of. Some part of Kakashi pointed out that it was not really the teacher's fault – the entire village treated the kid that way. Another part of him thundered that conformity was no excuse to hurt another. She was Naruto's _sensei_ damnnit. And senseis were people who taught you, not just academic subjects or shinobi rudiments, but they were the people you idolized when you were young. They were your first crushes, your role models, your guides, and they lent you a listening ear when there were none at home.

And the fact that she had disregarded such a relationship…it angered him.

"Hinagata-san, I know what he is. But I wonder if you do", he said softly. His eyes though, belied his words for they burned with a cold unchecked fury. And though none of his rage coloured his emotionless voice, Hinagata Saori found herself chilled to the bone. 'There are shinobi who can kill without thinking at all, Saori. Promise me you weren't ever become one?' her father's words rang in her ears.

At that moment, she was very sure that this strange man in front of her belonged to that group. She glared at him, pretending not to be afraid, while her heart pumped at a million miles per hour. He returned her gaze with a cool hard stare before she finally dropped it.

Kakashi turned to leave, gesturing at Naruto to follow him. The boy glanced uneasily from one grown-up to another before he hopped from his place and went to stand beside Kakashi.

Kakashi sighed inwardly. He would tutor the boy. Or he would be put into another class. It was clear that the kid would not learn much, if anything, here. It depended on Sandaime of course. And if Sandaime did not agree with his decision then…well, the Hokage _had _made him the boy's guardian…as such, it was up to him to decide Naruto's future, right?

He smiled at the thought that he would get to outmaneuver the Kage for once. Kakashi grabbed Naruto's hand and started for the doorway.

"Wait", a soft voice made him halt.

"I…he can stay", Hinagata said quietly. Kakashi whirled around in surprise. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but he closed it again. He had learnt not to push his luck.

Hinagata herself was surprised at her words. What had made her do that? That…that thing was a monster…a monster which had destroyed her parents. It was only fair that she hated him, right? She looked at the small blonde boy, and saw him. She truly saw him for the first time. He was small sized and short for his six years. But his eyes…his eyes were a sad blue that threatened to drown her in their sorrows.

'I wonder if you do?' Those words had made her rethink her perceptions. Did she really know him?

Kakashi eye-smiled at Hinagata and pushed Naruto toward her. The kid looked at him in confusion. "Bye, Naruto-kun. I'll pick you up after school, ok?"

"But…aniki…"

"I can't spent the whole day trailing around you. Ja ne", the silver-haired jounin said.

"Umm…chotto. What's your name?"

"Eh?" Kakashi looked at her, puzzled by her request. Oh…his name…right…

He studied her closely for a moment. "Watashi wa Hatake Kakashi des", he said bowing formally. It was not in his nature to be so polite. But she was a woman…and he wanted her on good terms with Naruto…

"Oh. I'm Hinagata Saori. Yoroshiku", she said, bowing in turn. Kakashi smiled, waved and poofed out of existence. Hinagata turned to Naruto, who was eyeing her with trepidation.

"Come, let's go join the class". Naruto's eyes widened at that, before a wide grin split his face.

Hinagata was outside, watching her class go through basic kata, when realization hit her. Hatake Kakashi. Copy-nin Kakashi. She had just been _arguing _with one of Konoha's finest. It was said that the tensai had once cleared an entire clearing full of enemy nin in seconds. And she had been glaring at him.

Several of the Academy teachers noticed that Hinagata-sensei was rather pale that day. They attributed it to the stress of dealing with a class full of noisy nine-year olds and the Kyuubi gaki. If only they knew…

050805

Kira-Reen

- the willful blindness thing was because I was suddenly reminded of a lit lesson last year on To Kill a Mockingbird. I normally slept through lit…cus my teacher sucked…but hah…I was listening that time and I guess it kinda stayed. So this is sort of a theme the entire chapter…

A/N: Yipee! That only took 5 hrs to type! And you know…I've noticed something: with all the time I spend typing, I can now close my eyes and type…hahaz. Ok, this story has officially run away from me…I keep trying to steer it back to the main storyline but my fic is as obstinate as I am…sigh…and this chapter was written in a week when very little time was devoted to being fanatical over Naruto. That's because I was down with horrible flu…and I am suddenly obsessed with Prince of Tennis (don't even ask). Ah…Tezuka is hot…hee…never mind…so anyway, excuse moi if the characterization is wacked oO. And as always…Read and Review! Thanks so much again to all who have reviewed thus far. I never ever thought there would be so many people reading my fic!

(A/N 2: Eh…for those expecting quick updates, im really sorry but this fic will be on a hiatus for a while. This is because firstly, a) my math teacher sort of confiscated my entire foolscap pad with future chapters written in it because I was revising for a test in it –damn woman had to confiscate EVERYTHING! Aiyee…all my hardwork…not to mention my school notes…sigh- so yea I need sometime to re-write the stuff, and b) I am currently typing with my left hand because my right is numb and twitches a lot…yeps…so I type really slowly…only reason you are getting this update is because it was typed out a month ago….yeps so basically…no updates for possibly more than a week or two…sorry!)

Reviewer Response

Kagome13Chan: Thanks! And yes, Kashi-kun has a very bloody past –huggles Kakashi-

Cheerful pinkstar: Eee…sorry but I won't be able to update frequently for a while…read A/N 2 to find out why…Thank for the review!

s-sama: Thank you! Review like yours are why I'm sitting here typing stuff slowly with my left hand! Hahaz…Noooo….your idea cannot fly out of the window! You must write more…pretty please…oh yah…I saw you updated! Yay! –goes off to read your fic-

DragoonVBK: Hahaz…well I don't know exactly how Kakashi communicates with his dogs so I just made up a method…it's ok I guess since my fic is a/u…besides, its so much cooler if he can talk to them mentally! Eee! You liked the action scene? Really? Wow...thanks soo much…I normally shy away from writing action because I'm not good at it…but what's a Naruto fic without some action, eh?

Mystery-LadyTX: Yepz…Kashi had to kill someone he knew with his own hands…poor Kashi-kun…I torture him soo much…Thanks for the review!

Hitomi No Ryu: Ehh…sorry you feel that way…but for some reason the flashback fights just sneak their way into the story…and it's the only time I dare to write action…Ummm…the drunks and the mastermind behind it all will not be revealed for a while yet…whoever planned the attack and roused those drunks was very smart, very skilled and very cunning. So it's gonna take Kakashi awhile. First though, he has to settle into his new lifestyle before he actually has the time to go looking for them…Uchiha Ryuuga does make an appearance in the next chapter…Thanks for the review!

Aznpuffyhair: Yes…Naruto will meet the rest of the cast in the future…I'm going to write at least until I catch up to the present timeline. I'll give you a hint though: The first of the original cast Naruto meets will be probably Ebisu, Itachi, Sasuke or Ino…

DotDotDotman: Hahaz…dun worry…for now this will not be a romance fic…I have never written romance before...though I have attempted. And thank you for the high praise!

non: Heh…yeps you are right…Foxhound has such nice long chapters…in my case its because I have a tendency to split chaps into 2 and update separately…Thanks for the rev!

Tamara2187: Hiya! Thanks for reviewing despite your busy schedule…

MarshmellowDragon: Eee…I like your penname! LoL…Kakashi is going soft, isn't he? Well…it's funny…but it's also a dangerous thing as he will find out later…

uchiha na kage: Hi! I think I remember you…you were one of the first reviewers, right? Thank you soo much for reviewing again…let's me know that you are still reading! The drunks will come to justice…but the evil mastermind…I'm not so sure…feel free to make suggestions as I'm still writing the story!

To the rest of my reviewers: Thank you guys so much for the reviews!


	13. Perceptions I

Chapter 9 – Perceptions

(A/N: Hullo! Eee…I know what you guys are thinking…long time no update and its short too…well, sorry…but finals are in 2 weeks –stress…stress…how? I'm gonna fail chemistry…sob – anyway, this is only the first ½ of the chapter…I'm currently writing the 2nd part but am not sure if I'll finish anytime soon…so just decided to post this soon…yeps…it's all in Ryuuga's POV…Oh yah…thank you to all the reviewers!)

Part 1

Uchiha Ryuuga trudged down the road that ran between the outskirts of the Uchiha compound and the supply shop he had just visited. His arms were laden with sharp new kunai, shuriken and the like.

He groaned wearily. He was tired. But it had not been a long day. In fact, Ryuuga did not have mission room duty today. And his police patrol shift began in the evening. But he was sick; sick and tired of everything. Especially certain old _hags _who had nothing better to do then sit around gossiping about the private lives of the villagers instead of tending to their shop! Gods, he hated it. And he hated it even more when they brought up the controversial issue of his parentage.

Goddammit, that was ancient past. Why in nine heavens did they have to bring _that _up again? And why were they comparing _him_ with Uchiha Itachi?

Itachi was his 13-year old cousin. The kid was quiet, calm and cool. In short, he was one of the more tolerable, if the most unsociable, of Ryuuga's large brood of young cousins.

As a matter of fact, he had no personal grudge against the boy. He did though, resent the fact that people were comparing him, a Chuunin at 22, to the 13-year old newly appointed ANBU captain.

Couldn't they just leave him alone for once? That last snide remark "Aunt" Chizue had made had nearly been the last straw.

_"Aiyah…Ryuuga-kun, have you heard? They just made Itachi-kun captain because his superior retired. And he's 13. Think about it, dear nephew. A young boy like that has brought so much to our clan. Not at all like some others…" she trailed off, subtly insulting him._

_Ryuuga counted out the yen he owed the shop and slammed it down. He waited impatiently for the other shopkeeper, his older second cousin Aizue, to bag the items._

_"Of course, it's not really the child's fault. It's a shame youngsters have to suffer for the mistakes of their parents, ne Aizue?"_

_Aizue's eyes flashed maliciously. "Of course not auntie. Though sometimes I think that natural talent, or the lack of it-" she paused for a little smirk at him, "really has as much to do with it as parentage"._

_Ryuuga ground his teeth. Rule 27: A shinobi must always follow the mind not the heart. He clung to the rule as he accepted the bags from her and returned her sickeningly sweet smile with one of his own._

_He really wanted to point out that at least he had become a shinobi – Aizue had flunked out of the 2nd year in the Academy. _

_But he held his tongue. 22 years of being known as the son of a blood-traitor and a pacifist had inured him to such things. Most days, he just blew such things off. Today though; today he was unsettled. He had heard a slip of news that had shocked him thoroughly._

Ryuuga reached his apartment, unloaded the supplies he had purchased and left his house again. He had to ask the Hokage. If what he had heard was true…no, it was definitely just a rumour. He laughednervously at his thoughts. He was so silly – getting enraged over a bit of gossip he had heard from two of Konoha's infamous rumour-mongers. The Hokage would not be pleased by him barging in over something as ludicrous as this. Still, he had to satisfy his conscience.

Sure, the village was not very friendly to the kid. But Kyuubi gaki or not, surely Sandaime would not give the kid to some…some assassin! He felt sick to his stomach at the thought. Hatake Kakashi. Former ANBU captain of squad 15, a position now filled by Uchiha Itachi. It was unimaginable that such a guy be given custody of a young child!

Ryuuga had only bumped into the man a few times before. And they had spoken perhaps once or twice over the years. The first had been at the Academy. Ryuuga had only been 8 at the time, and in his 2nd year already. Wartime had decreased the admittance age of children to 7. Even then, the small short child carrying a 4th year's texts had been a memorable sight.

They had met again thrice. All three times at the Uchiha residence. The first had been a casual visit. His cousin Obito, who was slightly older, had called him over to spar. Obito was rarely around, always out on the frontlines because the Yellow Flash had been his sensei. So he had gone.

They had run into the Hatake at a ramen shop after the practice. Obito had grinned and dragged the grey-haired kid for a spar, enthusiastically declaring his victory. Ryuuga had had no doubt Obito would win. Despite not having the Sharingan yet, Obito-kun had been a fast, fierce fighter with a chakra amount far larger than most children their age.

Kakashi had beaten his cousin in five minutes flat. And he had left, all without saying a word. The robotic skill displayed had left Ryuuga speechless, and chilled to the bone. That such ninja, younger than him, existed had come as an utter shock.

The second had been on the day Uchiha Iramai, Obito's mother and sole surviving parent, eldest daughter of a clan elder, had passed on. Obito had been shaken on that day. And Ryuuga had seen his cousin's usually unshakeable optimism wane. Obito had not cried too. And that had been a surprise. Obito always cried. But he always smiled again. This time, he had been completely morose. For days, Obito had sat by his mother's bedside, unmoving, unsmiling. And when she had gone, he had not shed a tear.

His team had come then. Ryuuga remembered them clearly. The girl Rin, always smiling and laughing. That gentle doe-eyed soul had immensely cheered up Obito. And the Yondaime, though he had been known only as the Yellow Flash back then. Ryuuga had never imagined that the infamous shinobi would be the one to carefully tease Obito out of the unnatural shell he had crawled into.

Hatake Kakashi had stood by the side silently, observing everything. A passing Uchiha had made some comment about the White Fang and the other boy had stiffened imperceptibly. It had been the only indication that the masked shinobi was even human, let alone a 9-year old child.

2 years later they had met, at a funeral again. It was his cousin's this time. Obito of the stupid grins, quirky goggles, leaky eyes and idealistic strength was gone forever. But he had awakened their bloodline just before he died. The Hatake had come after the proceedings ended. Ryuuga had, at that time, been angered by the other's disrespect. To come late for the funeral of a teammate, especially one who had saved your life and your eye, was simply despicable. And furthermore, even if Kakashi had never considered Obito his friend, Ryuuga knew how highly his cousin had thought of the cold shinobi.

All three meetings had given him the impression of a cold-hearted person whose sole existence was utterly devoted to being a shinobi. At least, if Hatake Kakashi had remained that way, it would not be such a preposterous thing to place a child in his care. But in recent years, according to rumour mill, he had grown much worse. The name Copy-nin Kakashi was enough, they said, to scare even hardened enemy nins.

An ANBU in the bar had told him a riddle once. "The grey wolf, he comes on the wings of lighting. Run, for he brings death", the man had been extremely sloshed at the time and he looked drugged. But something about the way he said them had prompted Ryuuga to repeat it to Itachi a year ago. The other Uchiha had merely smiled tightly. "Kakashi-buchou will be pleased to hear that I think. He likes fear", the words had shocked Ryuuga.

Yes, there was no way Sandaime-sama would have placed such a man in charge of a child. No way at all.

A/N: Muahaha…poor Ryuuga is going to get the shock of his life, ne? I'm so evil…hahaz…and poor Kakashi…Ryuuga really doesn't think much of him…and his behaviour doesn't really leave a good impression…hahaz…next few chapters: Ryuuga gets the shocking news, Kakashi is late in picking Naru-chan up…the two will meet…and Kakashi will (finally) investigate the events of that fateful night. Hee…if you want to know how…simple: read and review! Oh wait…sidenote: someone asked if Iruka will appear…eh…not yet…He's only 17 right now…only been a Chuunin for a year…

Shameless plugging: Hey hey hey…any prince of tennis fans out here? Go read mi a/u POT ficcie, kaez? Heehee…actually POT and bleach are the reasons why I've not been obsessing over Naruto too much lately…LoL…

4


	14. Perceptions II

(A/N: Ok…I've gotten my Naruto muse has returned…yippee! Hopefully this lasts for a while…on the flip side, I have major finals coming up right now…and I really wanna try for a 3.6 GPA…so hahaz…probably will be slow, or no, updating from now until end October…eee…thank you soo much to the reviewers…actually, I am not very happy with the previous chapter, Perceptions part 1, it was written and posted on the same day and when I read it back…I was like bleah! Oh well…sigh hope this chapter is better!)

Perceptions

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me…if it did, there is no way I'd have allowed such horrible English dubbing! Why oh why does Kakashi sound like a preppy? And Naruto's voice…cries even GSD English dubbing is better!

Part 2

A single raindrop traced its way down his cheek. But he stood there, as still as the granite memorial whose familiar etchings his eyes traced over and over. After so many years, he did not even have to look to tell you where their names were.

The droplets of water had turned into a drizzle by now. But even then the solitary figure endured. His mind, at that moment, was not truly in the physical world. It was instead in an elusive portion of the mind, the place which held one's memories; the place where one lived again.

For most, reaching such a state intentionally was impossible. The theory that our mind is like a folder which stores memories in an organized matter, is completely untrue. Memories are instead, connected to physical sensation. The smell of a type of soap, the off-key humming of a long-forgotten tune, the colours surrounding us, the feeling of a gentle breeze against our skin, these were all things which triggered someone's memories.

Thus, many of us are unable to access a memory at will. Often times, the harder we try to remember, the vaguer the memory becomes. But Hatake Kakashi was different. For him, the sensations of the present were as fuzzy as those of an adult remembering his childhood. Only in his mind, only through his memories (and battle of course) was he able to experience distinct, definable sensations.

Kakashi lived in the past; he lived for the past. Or at least he had. The rain had turned into a downright downpour by now. He blinked and looked up. Odd…the sun was still exposed. It shone brightly into his eyes and for a second he saw bright spots dancing in the western sky.

But that was not why he had looked up. He had an uneasy, persistent feeling that he had forgotten to do something. Wait…had he left the iron on at home? No. Stove? Check. Mission report? Check. He had handed that in _before _coming to visit. Self-awareness was an important thing sometimes.

Then…what else? Windows? Stupid question. The windows (there were only two in his entire house) were always locked, whether he was inside or outside the apartment. Though he did get a lot of complaints over that from Naruto – wait…Naruto! Kuso! He was supposed to pick the boy up from school!

Kakashi forgot all about the rain, the sun and the memories. He had an anchor to the present now. The said anchor was hopefully safe in the Academy right now. The kid would probably be enraged, but Kakashi preferred an angry Naruto to an injured one. Furthermore, Naruto could easily be subdued with the promise of ramen.

He raced to the Academy, silently apologizing to Obito and sensei for his abrupt departure. Hatake Kakashi was late; 3 hours late.

Naruto sat on the table fiddling with his eraser as he stared at the page of problems. The teacher sat in the front of the class, swiftly marking a large pile of exercise books.

Occasionally, either one of them would sneak a look at the other. The moment they were caught though, they immediately returned to their tasks with furious vigour. This had been going on for 3 hours.

Naruto felt like running out of the place. But nii-san had told him to stay! So he stayed. Oh…where was his aniki? It had been three hours…three whole hours with her. And worse still, she had been _nice _to him and said that she would stay until his guardian came.

Normally, he would have shouted at her for thinking he was some little kid (which he was) who needed looking after (which he did). But she was being nice. And nice…if that was what this absence of glares and rough words could be called…was something Naruto had very little experience with.

Especially when it came to Hinagata-sensei. Ever since the first day he had stepped into her class, she had been nothing but hostile toward him. Naruto had long since given up wondering why people just seemed to hate him so much. For him, it had simply become something normal; it was simply classified as one of the mysteries of life.

Naruto was not quite used to being glared at, no matter how much he tried to hide it. But he was used to being ignored. And after the first few lessons, Hinagata Saori had seemed to forget all about him.

Perhaps that was what had happened; aniki had simply forgotten. After all, in the two and a half months he had stayed with the other, Naruto had learned that Hatake Kakashi spaced out a lot. He would often stop, smack dab in the middle of eating a meal or finishing a sentence, and he would get this glazed look in his eyes.

So perhaps, Kakashi had merely forgotten and gone straight home.

Or maybe…maybe he was not coming anymore. It would not be the first time one of Naruto's guardians had walked out on him. He racked his brain trying to recall if he had done anything to seriously offend the jounin. No…Kakashi had seemed more out of it than usual today…but he got like that often.

Besides, nii-san was different. He had to be. Naruto bit his lip at the hard lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. Was too much to ask for? Was it too selfish to want to have just one precious person?

He wished he knew the answer. He wished Kakashi would appear in front of him now. The clock chimed at that moment, and Naruto gazed at the clock. It was four. 3 hours had passed since school had ended. Dread settled in the pit of his stomach. If Kakashi had been coming, he would be here by now. If he had had a mission, he would have told him earlier.

And if he had simply forgot…Naruto would kick his ass. Jounin or not, Hatake Kakashi had no right to keep him waiting for 3 freaking hours! Three! Not one or two…but 3! Naruto gritted his teeth as he imagined kicking the jounin hard…or maybe switching his shampoo to green hair dye, it _was_ Gai's favourite colour after all. He grinned as he imagined the scene that would produce.

_Hatake Kakashi walked out the door and onto the streets of the village. He had not once glanced in the mirror. Maito Gai appeared at the moment._

_"Kakashi! My eternal rival! How hip! How cool! You irritate me! Why…why did you think of this idea before me?"_

_"…"_

_"Oh well, but I am still elated. My rival has finally accepted the superiority of green! Finally…finally we have something in common. Oh how beautiful that shade of green is!"_

_"I hate green. I will never wear green", the cold statement caused Gai's eyes to narrow, before he beamed widely again._

_"Ah…I see…you are trying to keep your liking hidden. But you forgot to cover your hair! A good shinobi must always keep such bright hair hidden!" Gai lectured, gleeful that his 'perfect' rival had slipped up._

_Kakashi's eyebrow twitched. "I got through 8 years an ANBU with this hair", he said menacingly._

_"Eh? You had green hair that time?"_

_Kakashi bit through his lip. "What… the…hell? Why are you talking about green hair? My hair is white! White!" he snapped._

_"But Kakashi! Your hair is such a beautiful shade of green!"_

_Kakashi face-faulted, as he caught sight of his reflection in a mirror. His hair! His beautiful white hair which he washed every day! It was green! He turned red…and resembled a tomato at the moment (red body with green tufts…) before fleeing the scene._

Evil Naruto cackled mentally as he envisioned the confrontation. Kakashi would pay…but only if he ever came. Naruto sighed as he glanced at the clock again.

"Don't worry, he'll come".

"Eh?" Naruto gaped at the teacher. Had she…just spoken…to him? The teacher looked into his gaze for a moment before dropping her eyes and returning them to her work hurriedly.

"I know what it's like…to wait for someone…"

"Aa…it's just…it's been so long…" Naruto trailed off dejectedly.

Hinagata's eyes softened at the tone in his voice and she looked up.

"He'll be here. Being a shinobi is a busy job, you know. Especially when you are as renowned as Hatake-sama is", she said softly.

"Eh? That guy? Well-known?"

She frowned. "You should give him more respect!"

Naruto cringed at that. "That's…that's what I'm afraid of…I'm afraid I'll say something stupid…and he'll go away…just like…"

Hinagata's heart clenched for a moment. This boy…didn't he know…didn't he know what he was?

_"I know what he is. The question is…do you?"_

Those words had made her search her soul. She smiled abruptly.

"Naruto-kun, I assure you, he will not be…like the others…he cares about you…I can tell", the warmth in her voice shocked her as much as it did Naruto. _He will not be like me. _They looked at each other awkwardly for a moment, both unsure when their relationship had changed from hated student and unreasonable teacher to something…more platonic.

Kakashi chose that moment to walk in. "Yo!"

Silence greeted him. He observed the two for a moment…why were they both looking uneasy? Masaka? Could it be…no…Naruto was too young for _that_…he dug his brain out of the gutter and tried again.

"Afternoon, minna-san!"

"Hatake-san…school ends at 1pm today".

"Aa", he sheepishly scratched the back of his head, "I know", he replied.

"…" she wasn't going to make this easy for him.

"I…forgot to set my alarm clock…" Even Kakashi knew he needed better excuses. He made a mental note to devote some time to making up better ones. The two continued staring at him. It seemed as though they would not accept anything short of a formal apology.

"Mah…I was late. Gomenasai", he said, bowing slightly. Kakashi usually hated apologizing. But…in this case…for Naruto's sake…damn…that brat really was changing him…next thing he knew he'd probably groveling at someone's feet…yeesh…

"It's ok. Just make _sure _you're on time in future. We don't want you setting a bad example for Naruto-kun, do we?"

Kakashi nodded and raised an eyebrow at the affectation she'd attached to the boy's name and turned heel and left, blonde boy in tow. _Naruto-kun, eh? Maybe…just maybe…_

He never had time to finish the thought. The moment they left the classroom, Naruto jumped on his head with a loud "Kyah!"

Kakashi stood still for a moment, completely shocked as the kid began hammering him. He _could _have dodged of course. But he simply had not expected the boy to jump on him. A particularly hard knock made up his mind. He used a hand to dislodge the small snarling _thing_ that Naruto had turned into and held the kid up in the air, by his left foot.

"Oi! Put me down! Now! Stupid nii-san…coming 3 hours late. Argh…I wanna kill you!" the kid grabbed for his face.

Kakashi grinned at the kid. Oh yeah…Naruto was mad alright. He ran home, Naruto bouncing and screaming all the way.

He got home and threw the kid on the couch before locking the door. He turned to see Naruto with an evil grin plastered over his face. Kakashi would be getting green hair in the very foreseeable future. _Lime _green hair.

­

"Please, sign these sir", the aide said, putting a stack of papers on Sandaime's table.

"Oh…hmm…yes, I will", Sarutobi replied distractedly as he took up a pen. He realized his aide was still standing there, fidgeting slightly in indecision.

"Oh? Is there something else?"

"Ah…Hokage-sama, there's a shinobi out there who wants to see you", the aide replied.

"Hmm? Then send him in".

"But…Hokage-sama…according to protocol no one is allowed to see you without an appointment…"

"Really? Then why have you not sent him away yet? Rules, are meant to help, no hinder, leadership".

"He…is an Uchiha, Hokage-sama, and he was babbling something about…about the Uzumaki".

Sandaime frowned. An Uchiha? And the Kyuubi's container? The Uchiha clan rarely involved itself in village matters unless they concerned security. And Naruto-kun certainly was one of Konoha's biggest security risks. However, he had not heard any concerns from them, not after he had ignored their initial request to kill or at least banish the child.

"What's his name?"

"Uchiha Ryuuga…but…Hokage-sama…"

"Let him in", the Hokage replied. The aide hesitated, opened his mouth and then closed it. He bowed, turned heel, and left, his back stiff with disapproval.

Uchiha Ryuuga walked in few moments later, bowing formally as he entered. Ryuuga might have one of the black sheep of his family, but he still knew how to act in social occasions. Every Uchiha kid was trained in social etiquette, regardless of their stature in the clan. They were repeatedly reminded that above all else, they were Uchihas and they had to present a certain dignity and maintain a certain aloofness from others. Even as an adult, Ryuuga found it hard to break the habits of childhood. Besides, this _was_ Sandaime Hokage. And after bowing and scraping to dozens of senile, pompous clan elders, the Sandaime at least was someone he could truthfully say he respected.

"Aa…Ohayo Ryuuga-kun. So what brings you here today? I trust that there are no problems…"

"Iie, Hokage-sama. The walls are safe".

"Then…you are here on…clan business, perhaps?"

Ryuuga nearly blanched. He did not want to have anything to do with "clan" business. Not after the way they had treated him. And especially not after the way they had treated his parents…

"Iie, Hokage-sama", he strained to keep his impatience from showing. Ryuuga had never been one for small talk. But it was impolite to bring up a topic the Hokage was so clearly avoiding. So he waited patiently.

"So…you are here on…" there was a long pause. Sarutobi remained frozen in thought. Most people reacted badly when they found out Naruto was the Kyuubi no Kitsune's container. Was that why Ryuuga was here? Was he angry that he had not been told the child he had carried in was the container of one of the most powerful and destructive youkai of all time?

Ryuuga had been compassionate when he had brought the child in. Most shinobi would have overlooked the kid. They would have left the orphan there. Had he known who the boy was? And if he had, would he have done otherwise?

Sandaime didn't know. He knew it might be a bad idea to talk to the Uchiha about this. After all, the Uchiha clan, as a whole, seriously disapproved of Naruto's very existence. Still…something about the man made him want to give the other a chance.

"You are here about Naruto-kun, ne?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama", Ryuuga replied.

"Firstly, Ryuuga-san, let me thank you for bringing him in".

"Aa…arigato, Sandaime-sama. It was my duty".

"Yes, it was your duty. But I know a great many others who would have left a child out there", the Hokage eyed the younger shinobi with a knowing eye.

"But Sandaime-sama, I was only doing my job. Just because others are prejudiced does not mean that I deserve gratitude for doing what they would not have done", he replied softly. The Hokage heaved a mental sigh of relief as he smiled. Perhaps…just perhaps there were more than two people in Konoha who were not prejudiced against Uzumaki Naruto.

"Hai. You are right. That is your job, and we shinobi are accustomed to doing our duty thanklessly. However…I do commend you, not just for saving Naruto's life, but also for escaping the blinder that prejudice seems to have put on everyone else here, Ryuuga-san", the Hokage said gravely.

"Hokage-sama…How is the boy?"

"Ah…yes. Naruto-kun is fine. He's been having nightmares, but his guardian reported that he's begun to settle down", the Hokage assured the other man.

"Oh. He's healed already?"

"Aa".

"But…last I saw him…"

The Hokage did not reply but instead looked at him steadily as comprehension dawned on the Ryuuga. This was the final test; how would Ryuuga react when confronted with the knowledge that the boy he had rescued was not merely the container of a youkai…but he could also tap into the youkai's powers.

To Sarutobi's surprise, the Uchiha did nothing. He merely nodded thoughtfully at the unexpected piece of information and asked another question which threw the Hokage off balance.

"Can I see him?"

Sandaime blinked at the question. Naruto _had _asked him who had rescued him…but Sandaime had refused to tell the boy at the time. He had been afraid that the rescuer might not have welcomed gratitude from the boy. He need not have worried, apparently.

The Hokage smiled genuinely. "Hai. I don't see why not. I'll give have my aide you the address of his guardian…be sure to visit after 3pm. Naruto attends the Academy and it only finishes at 1", the Ryuuga nodded in reply to this.

The Hokage smiled at him again in tacit dismissal. He _did _have other things to do after all…like sign the stack of papers in front of him. The Hokage sighed; he really hated paperwork. It was, perhaps, the only part of his job he disliked. His smile disappeared abruptly as he realized Uchiha Ryuuga was still in the room, looking at him hesitantly.

"You have something else on your mind, Ryuuga-san?"

Ryuuga flushed and composed himself. He really had to know. "Ano…Hokage-sama…about Naruto's guardian…might I inquire…"

"Hmm…oh, why?"

"Umm…it's nothing. It's just that…I heard…Gomen. I should not have brought up a silly rumour. Please excuse me", Ryuuga stood up abruptly as he lost his nerve. Sure, the Hokage allowed, and even encouraged outspokenness; but what would he think if Ryuuga, a mere Chuunin, questioned his decisions? Especially when the rumour in question was so unbelievable…I mean…who would put a mentally instable _assassin _in-charge of a small child? It was just too implausible…

The Hokage looked up from his steepled hands as Ryuuga turned to leave. "You…wish to know is Naruto's guardian is one Hatake Kakashi…am I correct?"

Ryuuga froze. _Masaka…it couldn't be…_

"Hai…" he said softly.

"Then…my answer to you would be yes. Kakashi-kun is indeed taking care of the boy".

Ryuuga's eyes widened as he turned back towards the Hokage.

"You should not place faith in rumours, Ryuuga-san".

"But…Sandaime-sama…his past – "

"-Is well-documented. I am well-aware of that…as well as the many rumours floating around about him. I am also very aware of the Uchiha clan's feelings about Hatake Kakashi".

"Hokage-sama…I'm not personally prejudiced toward him. I know, very well, that the clan unfairly puts down people and I also know what kind of life some of our shinobi have had to live for Konoha's sake. The thing is, Hokage-sama…what kind of life will that boy have if he is brought up by…by someone like that?"

"Ryuuga-san…contrary to public opinion, Kakashi has never done anything more than what his missions have required. As for Naruto…I believe he would have a much brighter future under Kakashi's care".

"Aa…gomen, Hokage-sama. I know…that it's not my place to question you…especially when I barely know the boy…It's just – "

"You care for him. And I'm asking you not to stop".

"Hai…and it's just…I know what it's like…to be someone else's ward…and in this case, Hatake-san is barely old enough…" Ryuuga paused for a moment, certain he had said too much. The Hokage's expression softened. He recognized the young man now. Ryuuga was Uchiha Benjiro's son. Benjiro had been one of the few Uchihas who had associated with others. And he also had been the clan elder's second son. His marriage outside the clan, to Matsushita Hoshiko, a civilian from an unknown clan, and their subsequent deaths had left the boy Ryuuga bereft of parents.

Normally, Sandaime took in the village orphans under his wing. He made sure they were alright and well-treated. It had not been an easy task in the aftermath of the Kyuubi and the slew of orphans the youkai had created. But he had done so for as long as he was Hokage. In Ryuuga's case though the Uchiha clan had claimed full responsibility for him. They would not tolerate one of their own, no matter his bloodline, growing up outside their clan. Their rationale had been that family should stick together and Benjiro's brother, the clan head at the time, had pointed out that the boy had never slept outside the Uchiha compound walls before. Sandaime had suspected it had more to do with the possibility, however slim, that Ryuuga might possess the Sharingan.

So he understood Ryuuga's sentiments. However…

"Ryuuga-san, you have to understand. Kakashi-kun…was not one of my choices…"

Ryuuga frowned in incomprehension.

"Hatake Kakashi was my _only _choice. You and I may be able to see a six-year old child. But so many others in this village would see him as a threat…and they would treat him as such. You have already seen first-hand what can happen…"

"But Hokage-sama…I just…"

"Visit Naruto and Kakashi. If you could tell me the boy would be happier elsewhere…I'll be happy to. And Kakashi-san…he is not at all what he seems. Not everyone can see things the way you do, Ryuuga…I hope you develop the habit…both for your own good…and Konoha's…now if you'll excuse me…I have work to do", the Hokage dismissed him firmly this time.

Ryuuga (finally) left. He wondered outside, pondering on what the Hokage had said. He barely even noticed the aide giving him the paper, and walked out with a vague nod of thanks to the other. Thankfully, the man brushed it off as just another emotionless, uptight Uchiha.

Ryuuga looked down at the address at resolved to visit the next day.

Kakashi sat the one of the many bars littering Konoha, slowly nursing a drink. The bar was nice and quiet and dark. In short, it was the type of bar frequented by Kakashi and fellow shinobi.

He sighed and relaxed into the night, relishing the opportunity to unwind. It had been so long since he had had some time to himself, or have a quiet drink. Naruto…he really did care about the kid…but Kakashi was just so used to being a loner, to living a lone, that sometimes, even after 2 and a half months, he still felt the urge to go sit somewhere, away from the boy and his constant chattering. But not too long though. Presently, he had left the kid with Kirane and Girashi again; it was not safe to do so for long periods of time though.

And besides, Kakashi had a feeling he'd miss the bouncing blonde ball of energy if push came to shove. The boy was just that way, he grew on you. He knew leaving Naruto alone was not a good idea. But he was here anyway…and his business was far from pleasure.

His eyes narrowed as a cloaked figure entered the quiet place. Kakashi tensed, relaxing only when the figure turned out to be an old man, coming for a quiet drink. He switched his attention back to covertly observing the door.

Music from nearby discos filtered in and mingled with the soft murmurings of the people packed in the bar. Looking around at this place, no one would be able to guess that a few months ago a child had been brutalized, almost to the point of death, scarcely a few miles from here.

This bar was where the assailants had come from. He was certain of that now, after almost 2 months of nightly forays into every single bar in within a 2 mile radius of the attack site. He had eventually deduced that this was the most likely venue they had departed from.

Tonight was his third at the bar. So far no sign of the men who had beaten up the kid. There was also no sign of whoever had put Naruto under a Genjutsu and, most likely instigated the drunkards.

Kakashi tensed again as another hooded figure ended the bar. He could feel the strong chakra presence from the other, despite skillful masking that would have thrown all but the ANBU's infamous wolf off course.

The shinobi, for Kakashi was sure of that from the other's smooth, silky movements, sidled up to the bar and ordered a drink. The other was short…and something about his presence was so familiar. Kakashi observed him openly by now; he was sure the other was aware of him.

The shinobi slowly tipped his head backward, allowing the cowl of his cloak to slide down to reveal silky grey locks, much darker than his own. A pair of cold coal-black eyes rose to meet his own.

Kakashi felt his stomach jump. The weasel. Uchiha Itachi, his former second-in-command. Itachi who at 13 had filled Kakashi's boots.

Itachi raised an eyebrow at him and picked his drink up, coming over to sit with his old teammate. "It's been a long time, captain", he said.

"Aa. Aren't you too young to be in here?"

"I'm old enough to kill, to lead men twice my age and Konoha trusts me enough to give me control of a team of their finest…I'm only enough to drink…" the Uchiha drawled with a languorous smirk. But behind his lazy words, Kakashi caught a sharper more bitter edge. He studied the boy's face intently as Itachi drained his glass.

He looked thinner than Kakashi remembered…and there were the beginnings of harsh lines carved into his face. The bags beneath his eyes had somehow deepened in just 3 months. And if you looked closely, his eyes seemed to be in a state of perpetual despair. Young Itachi it seemed, and despite the reports, was not taking well to leadership.

It wasn't a question of skills either. Itachi was as good a strategist as any other…and he'd demonstrated his ability to keep his cool in more situations than Kakashi could count. It was more a question of how ready the teen was, both mentally and emotionally to take on the job. Kakashi remembered the guilt of losing a teammate…and how it was amplified when _you _were in-charge. Being the leader, meant being responsible for the blame. He knew that more than anyone else.

Kakashi felt a pang of guilt rip through him. He should have stayed. If for nothing other than to save the boy from this, he should have stayed. But he hadn't. So all he could do now was watch Itachi drain glass after glass with increasingly trembling hands. And as the night drew on, Kakashi increasingly became aware of something as well. Itachi was not well in the head. Uchiha Itachi, who everyone hailed as a genius, was possibly more fucked up in head, heart and soul than Hatake Kakashi himself.

And Uchiha Itachi had a fully mastered Sharingan, the sort of which could erase memories…or implant them. So Kakashi sat there in the quiet bar, watching a boy he wanted to save, as dread grew in the pit of his belly. Nothing in life was ever simple.

031005

Kira-Reen

(A/N: Its 11.30pm on a school nite…main reason I wrote this: because I really my story was moving at snail pace. This is probably going to be my last update for the month…which is why it's longer than my usual 2000 words…hope you enjoyed…)

Review Responses: Hiya! Thanks to all who reviewed! Some of you had questions...or a few interesting comments...so here are my thoughts on that...

Kagome13chan: thanks for the rev! this ff is going to follow Naruto through his childhood to at least him becoming a Chuunin. There will most likely be at least one timeskip...

Krows Sacred: When is Kakashi not in for some stick? I jus love torturing him...hehe...-goes back to admiring imprisoned Kakashi-

uchiha na kage: hehe...u were right -looks sheepish- that chapter was kind of a rush...hopefully I won't write a chapter just for the sake of it again...hope this one was alright...and yeps...naru-chan is kawaii, ne? But actually this fic is about Kashi...or rather it began that way...

RaitenKitsune: Mou...i always give kashi credit...he's my fav bishie, ya know? Actually it's Ryuuga who really doesn't like Kakashi...hahaz...thanks for the review...

Hitomi no Ryu: LoL...I can't wait to write about them meeting either...but that has to wait till the finals are over...sigh...

MysteryLady-Tx: eh? You LIKED the chapter...woah...me is surprised...cus I really didn't like my own chapter...hahaz...hope you are satisfied with Ryuuga's bkground...yr review made me add more about his parents :) As for itachi...you'll see

s-sama: hehe...yes my arm's ok :)...and even if it weren't...I'd still be writing...I really like your made up character! Update tt ficie soon, please! Kakashi...was late for the funeral because he wasn't allowed to be there...Uchiha clan rules being as strict as they are...as well as their feelings toward him for having the Sharingan...well he just couldn't show his face...so he went later...

madnarutofan: POT and bleach rock..but naruto is what i always go back to...LoL...as for itachi...well, read on...

aznpuffyhair: the way i'm leaning right now...the Uchiha massacre might not happen...

purple-sorceress: Well...you found the reason Ryuuga's so concerned in this chapter...I hope...and I really like Ryuuga...which is a problem...because I'm afraid he'll become a Gary Stu...so I try very hard to make him flawed...which is hard...arghh...actually I think its impossible not to write a character who isn't an MS...take for instance what happened to Kakashi in chapter 277 of the manga...I was like...oO? LoL...thanks for the review!


	15. Distrust

(A/N: ok…very angst-ridden chapter up next, alternating between Itachi's and Kakashi's POVs…a little confusing as well, because I didn't clearly define their POVs...it was written because I hurt my leg playing rugby and got bored of revising for finals at home…guess I do miss school…hope you enjoy it…read and review please!)

Chapter 10 – Distrust: Matte Silver

Uchiha Itachi covertly watched his buchou watching him stealthily. Itachi was drunk. Merely a single cup was enough to make your average 13-year old woozy. But Itachi had never been normal. Still, it had been a long night, and too many cups of booze for his teenage body to handle.

He often cursed his physically diminutive frame. Where others had blind strength granted to them, Itachi had had to work hard to build up strength. Not that it mattered after he got the Sharingan anyway. But it had rankled, at first, that he, a Uchiha, was weaker than the rest of his team, physically. Itachi wanted power. He desired it.

It wasn't really his fault though. Ever since childhood, he had pushed, to be the best; the brightest. He had broken a slew of records when he made Chuunin at nine. And a few months ago, he had broken another record – he was the only ANBU captain at the age of 13. No one else, not even the famed Hatake Kakashi had achieved such a thing. Itachi felt a childish surge of pride at the slight victory over the other man.

But Kakashi had made Chuunin at 6. Itachi had entered the academy at six. They had both become ANBU at 12. But Kakashi had already been a jounin by then. The only thing Itachi could hold over his head, was that he had made ANBU captain before the other had. And even that…even that had been because Kakashi had left and the ANBU were strapped for personnel. Itachi also suspected that his clan had leaned on the ANBU to make him captain.

_My clan. My clan…is a disgrace to Konoha. Everything I do…I do for them. Everything I've done…has been because of them. My clan…_

Itachi scoffed silently. His clan, did not trust him. They were forever fawning over him, fussing over his age, praising him for the pride he brought to the Uchiha name. But they did not trust him. Itachi had seen many a cousin and uncle who had covered away from. And lately, after the promotion…even his parents…

They didn't understand him. Not mother, and certainly not father. And so they didn't trust their son. The only one…the only one who trusted him anymore…the only one who was never scared of him was Sasuke, his younger brother. He didn't know if he should be angry at the 6-year old kid for being completely unafraid of a teenager who had massacred hundreds and who had the blood of countless on his arms. But he did know he was glad for the kid.

But at the end of the day, Sasuke was just that, a kid; a snotty-nosed, crybaby brat who knew nothing of the world. And strangely, Itachi was glad for that as well. He did not want his brother to become like him. Hell, he did not want to be him. But he had no choice. He was the clan's tool, and such was his fate till his death.

When all was said and done though, he was still only 13. No matter how advanced the body was, there was still only so mature his mind could be. He craved approval. So he had done all he could and strived to be the best, until now, when those glances of approval had turned into fearful stares. In fact, he found that approval could not sate his appetites anymore.

He wanted companionship. He wanted, not acknowledgment, but understanding. The life of a tensai shinobi was never easy. But he had thought…he had thought that in Hatake Kakashi he had, perhaps, found a kindred spirit. But now…even Kakashi watched him with suspicion and it was all becoming too much.

The alcohol had numbed his senses enough for him to grow cold again. Whatever bout of geniality which had dragged him over to his old captain was gone. Even Hatake Kakashi of the stolen Sharingan eye and whose hands were soiled worse than his…even Kakashi doubted him.

_Which of the rumour-mongers have you been listening to, Hatake-buchou? Was it Auntie Chizue? Gods…what has she been running her mouth off on again? Killing little children? Eating blood? What had he done **this**__time? Or had it been Aizue? His dear cousin…and her loose mouth…oh how he wanted to make the bitch howl…_

Kakashi was watching him with alarm now. Itachi had been broadcasting a strong killer intent. Not enough for the civilians to notice. But for a jounin like Kakashi, it was like getting a plateful of hot pepper shoveled down your throat, especially when he was sitting right _next_ to Itachi.

"Itachi…you have to stop…"

"I don't _have_ to do anything. Not unless my clan _commands_ me to".

"And what about Hokage-sama?"

Itachi gave him an are-you-an-idiot look. "Hatake-sempai…you know fully well where my loyalties lie…"

"No, I don't. Why don't you tell me?" the jounin's tone had turned sharp, and his single visible eye was now a cold, piercing black.

Itachi resisted the urge to flinch. Kakashi had always treated him as nothing more than his kouhai. But he had always been empathetic toward him. _When did this turn into an interrogation?_ Itachi glared at his sempai coldly. Lesser men had been reduced to whimpering puppets under the force of his glare. But Kakashi was different. He knew all too well the heady feeling that came with wielding the amount of power they both did. He also knew the craving that went with it. And he was all too aware of the number of times Itachi had broken down into a sobbing, guilt-stricken little boy.

So he didn't glare back. But he simply held the other's stare with a hard, unforgiving gaze.

Itachi gave first, this time. His sempai had lost his trust that night. But he still respected the older man.

"My loyalty lies to Konoha", he hissed softly. Kakashi jerked in surprise. It was not just those words that astounded him, nor was it the truth he could sense behind those words…the hurt look in Itachi's eyes before he looked away…and to think he had been so sure that…

"Gomenasai", he said quietly. Itachi didn't reply, and instead gave him the famed Uchiha cold shoulder. Kakashi sighed softly. He hated dealing with kids who were more messed up than him.

"I was investigating a case…a few months ago…a kid was attacked near here…I'm sure you've heard about the incident", he explained. Itachi had finally turned to face him, curiosity piqued by the mention of the Kyuubi kid.

"So the rumours are true…you've adopted the boy. I never figured you for a guardian type, Kakashi-sempai…seems you're going soft", Itachi smirked again.

Kakashi scowled and hardened his eyes. "Hokage-sama ordered me to".

"But you like him…don't you? You…you want to protect him…and you want to hurt anyone…who hurts him?" Itachi abruptly realized he had said too much.

It wasn't as though he hadn't had private conversations with Kakashi before. Hell, considering that the other guy had seen him sobbing like a little child before, Itachi wasn't so sure how many boundaries they had crossed before, so he wasn't sure of how many he was allowed to cross.

Then of course, was the fact that they had never had _long _conversations before- both genius ninja were infamous for their monosyllabic responses and general disinterest in pretty much anything at all. But Kakashi had always seemed to understand him, which was rare.

It hurt, Itachi realized, somewhere, in his hardened heart, something was hurt by the fact that he had been _betrayed _by yet another person he had trusted; he had respected. He was surprised by that. He had thought, that after 13 years, his heart had simply ceased to exist from countless disappointments, shock, and emotional abuse. It was so that he barely felt it anymore when another comrade died; when he was faced with yet another reminder that they were all human, so very human, and that even with his skill, his training, and his sacrifice, he could not yet control the lives and deaths of others.

That, ultimately, was his goal. Somewhere in the time when his own clan had begun to doubt him – the very clan that had made him their tool had decided he was too volatile – somewhere in that time when he had been frightfully adrift, without no purpose, he had decided that was his goal. His first taste of power had been seductively sweet at the age of 8, when he had awoken his Sharingan. As an ANBU captain, he had even more power, but it wasn't enough, he wanted more. He wanted something at least, in his messed up life, to remain controllable.

If his dreams were gorier than any 13-year old's ought to be – well, Itachi often blithely ignored the fact that he had nightmares – the lines on his face were proof of his many sleepless nights. There was no one to care after all, and if there had been, if his mother had sought to comfort him, he had made it so she didn't dare to.

Sometimes, Itachi thought that Sasuke was his only salvation. His younger brother and the puppy dog admiration and love the boy held for him both warmed his ego and some portion of his nonexistent heart. But how many times had he shuddered when the child said "Aniki, when I grow up, want to be like you". No, Sasuke would be nothing like him, Itachi would make sure of that, somehow. So he refused to teach the boy any ninja skills, naively thinking that if Sasuke was a dud, then the clan would leave him alone.

But the clan was still more powerful than he was. And already, they were sinking their tendrils into Sasuke, leaving their mark on him forever. Sasuke had just learned a jutsu today. He wasn't even in the academy yet. And he had mastered the Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu. The jutsu was a Chuunin-level technique which no Genin should have had enough chakra to perform. But the Uchiha were well-known not just for their bloodline, but also their geniuses and high chakra levels. It was a result of, many others reflected with a sneer, many generations of inbreeding.

Itachi had mastered that jutsu when he was 5. Sasuke was six. He would be entering the Academy next year. Itachi had entered it at six, a year earlier than his peers. The parallels between the brothers were too eerily similar. He wanted them to stop. That was leading him down a path which he had come here desperately trying to forget.

"So why does a random attack on some kid lead to my interrogation, Kakashi-sempai?"

"Itachi…the attack…was not just physical…some one used Genjutsu on him", Kakashi hesitated there. "It was powerful Genjutsu…"

"How did you know?" Itachi asked, his disinterested veneer disappearing. Genjutsu was hard to trace, and its effects on the mind were even harder to spot. Kakashi sighed.

"It was the kind of Genjutsu that only you and I, or some other member of your clan can use", he replied wearily.

Itachi's eyes widened. Genjutsu…using the Sharingan…especially a mastered one. Who would do such a thing to a child? Even the container of a youkai? And Kakashi had thought that he…

"Why me then?"

"This bar…is 3 miles out from the incident place…it's where they set out from…"

"And when I walked in here tonight…you assumed…"

Kakashi rubbed the sore spot between the uncovered portion of his nose and the covered. "I assumed…that you were the one…I was wrong".

"And how do you know?"

"Because…you were never one to…hurt little children…"

"No".

"Itachi, what's been going on? The things I've been hearing…"

"If the ANBU have a problem with me, they should tell me to my face", he hissed again.

"You know full well what the problem is".

"My problem, Hatake-san, is people who can't stop gossiping and fools who _listen_ to their gossip. I thought you knew better, sempai", heat laced his normally emotionless voice. Kakashi studied him for a while. Itachi needed help of the sort he was not sure he could provide. What right did he have to correct the lives of others when he himself…

"…" Kakashi didn't know what to say.

"Besides, I'm not the one who has trouble _controlling _myself", he said, allowing cold rage reign for a moment as he enjoyed the mixed expressions of guilt and shame playing across the other ninja's face.

Kakashi mentally recoiled as he heard the verbal barb. Itachi was right. He was the one who had…lost control…and he had no business with others. But something made him stay. Something about the way Itachi was trying so hard to get him to leave…something about that reminded him of the way he had reacted toward Obito and sensei. Besides, he had owed a debt to the Uchiha clan. After all, he wasn't going to allow Obito to hold _that _over his head when they meet again. And while Itachi was still more or less in control of himself, Kakashi of all people knew how easy it was for self-control to snap.

"I could use your help".

"Hmm?"

"Whoever it was, he was definitely an Uchiha. You have more resources there than I do".

"Aa. And there's also the matter of your…relationship with my clan".

"Yes".

"And why should I help you?"

"Because…Itachi…you know what it's like to have a younger brother, ne?"

"Aa. I guess so. It will be hard to narrow them down. There _are _quite a few with awakened Sharingans".

"Yes. But not many with mastered sharingans", Kakashi said.

Itachi smirked. The other was right. That was also the reason why the clan elders hated Kakashi. He had mastered his Sharingan when several Uchiha, who in their eyes were the Hatake's superiors, had failed. "So we start from the top?"

"Aa".

"Still, we may not yield results. I don't supposed you've considered the possibility that the incident…was ordered by the clan heads?"

Kakashi's eyes widened in surprise as he slowly shook his head. "Surely…they wouldn't…"

"They would. I know it Kakashi-sempai. I know them all too well. They like to eliminate any perceived _threats _to them. In this case…the boy…"

"But…he's…"

"He's the container of the famed youkai who nearly destroyed us and who killed the Fourth. He also happens to be Kazuma Arashi's son".

Kakashi started at that. "How?"

"They know more than you think. Sandaime had to tell them that so that they would allow him to keep the boy here".

"Kuso…"

"Does he know?"

"That he's Yondaime's son? Or that he has the…"

"Both".

"Iie".

"Sheltering him will have repercussions in the future".

"He's only six".

"I was six when I entered the Academy. You were six when you became a Chuunin".

"We were different. You don't know him, the way…the way I do. He's different from us Itachi. Despite everything…And I do not want him to walk either of our path, not anymore than you want _your _brother to". Itachi nodded at the frank statement.

"It seems as though, Sasuke will not have a choice", bitterness filled his voice.

"There is always a choice".

"You don't know what it's like, Kakashi. You don't know what it's like to be a clan…to have such expectations…to have to obey…"

"You'll help?"

"Aa. Only because…" he trailed off again. "I have a condition".

"What?"

"I want to meet him". Kakashi looked at the other for a long time. "I'll bring Sasuke. They are the same age, ne? And from what you tell me…both of them have little experience with children of their own age".

Kakashi nodded. "He's afraid of the Sharingan".

"Then I'll be sure to keep mine inactivated".

Kakashi nodded again slowly, signifying his acceptance. He didn't know _why _Itachi wanted to meet the boy. But there was still the minute possibility that Itachi was the one behind it all…No, Kakashi wanted to believe the boy was innocent. They were so alike, in so many ways, that he just could not bring himself to believe that Itachi had turned rogue. _Or maybe that's precisely why you're afraid he's turned rogue. _Kakashi shoved the voice away.

"Well, it's a date then. Ja, buchou. I have to get home, it's a long time past curfew", bitterness, as always, tinged the younger shinobi's voice. Kakashi found himself wanting to erase that bitterness.

"At least you don't have a blonde brat who'll scream at you for staying out late", he tried to lighten the atmosphere.

"Iya. But I do have a crybaby who'll stay up late till I return", Itachi said with a fond grin that not many had been privy to.

"Ja", he said, lurching from his own seat, his senses slightly dulled by the sake. They both left with the night, just as they had come.

Kakashi stifled a yawn as he fumbled through his locks. He opened the apartment door to a heartwarming sight – Naruto lay sprawled across the floor, his head pillowed by Kirane, as Girashi stood watch. The guard dog barked with joy and slobbered over Kakashi. He tried in vain to silence the exuberant animal.

"Nii-san…" Kakashi groaned inwardly. He was too late. "Nii-san, don't leave. I promise…I promise I won't dye your hair – " the still slumbering boy's words were muffled as he turned into Kirane's warm fur. Kakashi's eyes softened at the sleepy subconscious words. Naruto needn't have worried. Kakashi had made a promise to stay by his side, to protect him. And honor was more important than anything else for a Hatake. The memory of his dead father lying with a tanto through his gut was an eternal reminder of that.

As Kakashi gathered the boy in his arms and dropped him on a futon before tucking him in, he idly wondered if across Konoha, a black-haired teenager was doing the same to his younger brother.

He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to reclaim him. Nightmares could stay away tonight. He had a full day, an unsolved case, and unbeknownst to him, another Uchiha to deal with tomorrow.

Kira-Reen

091005

A/N: I know…I said no more chapters…but can't help writing…it helps relieve stress…hahaz…and stupid plot bunnies refuse to go away until I put them down in ink…so here's chapter 10…sorry no Ryuuga-Kakashi interaction yet…Itachi sort of stole the show in this chapter…and let me state again: the identity of Naruto's attackers are _not_ known yet. So don't jump to conclusions, ok? With this chapter, I finally managed to bring Itachi and Sasuke into the story…and also work out my ideas considering the Uchiha Massacre finally. If anyone has any plot ideas, suggest away…I've completely deviated from my original idea and am writing on the fly right now…so read and review as always! And thank you to all the wonderful people who have reviewed so far! I can't believe the review count is over 200! Thanks so much for your encouragement…and criticism…and please keep reviewing .


	16. In which Our Favorite Jounin turns Green

(A/N: Argh…it's been so long since I touched a keyboard! You'd think since the exams are over…I'd have _more _time...but no…chores, preparations for Hari Raya Puasa…post-exam activites…with all of that I haven't had time to write-sigh-And I fear I'm getting rusty..thanks a whole bunch to everyone who's reviewed so far :D. Ok, on with the fic…be warned there's a bit of Kaka-angst moments ahead…though it's not like I ever write anything else.)

061105

Chapter 11 – In Which Our Favourite Jounin Turns Green

Kakashi hummed tunelessly (and soundlessly) to himself in his head. He was sleep-deprived, irritated and generally not so genial right now. Which was why, it had been a bad time for Naruto to dye his hair green. Which was also why, he had yelled at the kid. Which was why, his dogs had plotted against him. Which was why, his apartment was currently in an utter mess.

Kakashi looked around the room morosely. It was completely wrecked. Dogs, were supposed to be loyal. Kakashi knew this from reading the Ninja Summons for Idiots book. And while it had offended him when Arashi-sensei had ordered him to read it (he was _not _an idiot!), he had taken the book anyway, because he didn't know very much about the Hatake family summons. After all, he could hardly ask his dead father's ghost about them, now could he? So, Kakashi had read the book. And he could distinctly remember the paragraph, which stated that nin-dogs were _supposed_ to be loyal. The darned book was definitely wrong. He _knew _he never should have read it. Stupid sensei. It was his entire fault Kakashi was in this mess anyway.

Dogs, you see, were not loyal at all. Instead of protecting their master from all many of hazardous incidents (such as one's hair being dyed green), they had instead chosen to side with him rambunctious blond charge. Kakashi groaned as he surveyed the mess once again.

A broken vase lay on the floor, the water it had contained soaking through the yellow tatami mats, which lined the apartment. A couple of shattered dishes lay a few feet away. Kami-sama only knew why the puppies had dragged them here. What little furniture he possessed was turned over or splintered. And his bookshelf…

His precious Icha Icha collection! Nooo! Kakashi flitted across the room, praying for some luck…just this once…gods please!

He relaxed as he caught sight of his untainted collection. Good. At least the dogs knew enough to leave his beloved books alone. But that, and the unbroken picture frame above his futon, was the only sign that the gods had some measure of mercy after all.

He sighed. His neat, sparse apartment looked like a battle zone. Oh well, that was good in a way. After all, he'd cleaned up enough war zones in his time. In any case, there was no blood involved, not unless you considered what a certain silver-haired jounin was wont to do the next time he summoned Girashi, Kirane and the duo's puppies…

But his apartment was wrecked, he had a (self-imposed) mission in the evening, and his hair...it was still a lurid shade of green. He sighed, again. One thing was for certain, things were never peaceful with that kid around.

Kakashi hummed as he drained the bath. Yosh! He felt great…even if his hair was _still_ green. The darned dye refused to wash off, despite his 40-minute soak. Saa…it didn't matter anyway, not unless someone actually **saw** him in this state. He shrugged into his customary off-duty outfit of black tunic and pants, just as the doorbell rang.

He suppressed a groan. What now? For Kami-sama's sake couldn't he have a nice, _peaceful _moment to himself? He heard the pitter-patter of small feet racing to the door. "Naruto! Sit down! I'll get the door!" he hollered, mentally noting to himself that his old acquaintances would have toppled over from the shock of hearing cold, self-effacing Hatake Kakashi screaming this frantically. Then again, said acquaintances would probably die from shock if they heard that the _ruthless _Copy-nin Kakashi was taking care of a kid.

Kakashi reached the door before Naruto, and shot the blond a glare, forcing him to go back to his seat by the window, where his homework lay scattered. He extended his senses, trying to get a feel for the person behind the door. He relaxed, as he caught the familiar scent of leaves, which invariably marked every Konoha citizen, and tensed again as he caught sooty scent of one who used fire jutsus frequently. Masaka…an Uchiha? He furiously sought out the other's chakra presence and was slightly relieved to discover the other shinobi, for there was no doubt in his mind over that now, was a Chuunin. A high-level Chuunin, but still a Chuunin.

Kakashi was sure he could handle the uninvited visitor easily if the need arose. He unlatched the door cautiously…

Uchiha Ryuuga fumed as he rapped on the worn apartment door sharply. He was slightly worried that he might have gotten the wrong address by chance. In truth, he didn't expect the infamous tensai Copy-nin to live in an apartment building more run-down than his own. After all, S-rank missions were supposedly the highest paying.

Hmm…perhaps this Hatake was merely stingy…or maybe he had a bad gambling habit…Ryuuga's thoughts wandered into the realms of fantasy as the door (finally) creaked open.

He gaped for a moment at the sight in front of him. The great Sharingan no Kakashi was apparently a lean-built, unassuming _green-haired _kid! What the? He blinked and stared again.

"Can I help you?" the younger man asked through gritted teeth. Copy-nin Kakashi apparently didn't like being stared at.

"Are you Hatake Kakashi?"

"Depends…" the green-haired jounin snapped testily.

"On what?"

"On who's asking!"

"Aa…gomen. Watashi wa Uchiha Ryuuga des", he replied, miffed at the rude welcome. Kakashi relaxed at that. If the man was willing to tell him his name…he _most_ likely was not an assassin. But that brought up the question of why he was here…and there was the niggling sensation that he'd heard the other's name before. Then again, there were so many Uchihas in Konoha that after a while, all their names tended to blur together.

Still, Kakashi had never been one to take things at face value. _Underneath the underneath. _That was one of the more painful lessons he had learned in life. And besides, he **really **didn't appreciate the way the older shinobi had been gaping at him. So he had green-hair…so what? Che…you'd think Konoha hadn't seen weirder things (or hair colours for that matter) from the way the Uchiha had been gawking.

"And? Why are you here…Ryuuga-san?" years of bowing and scraping to his superiors, as well as the fact that his relationship with the Uchiha Clan was already bordering on hostile, were the only things that made him add the honorific, albeit as an afterthought.

"I…uh…well…"

Naruto chose that moment to squeeze in beside Kakashi. "Heya! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Yoroshiku!" Kakashi grimaced at that. He knew the Uchiha clan's stand on the Kyuubi container. And sometimes…actually most of the time, he hated Naruto's habit of warming up to complete strangers.

_Even after so many disappointments…he picks himself up and moves on. And **you**…you sit and mope around over the death of a boy which happened nearly a decade ago…_

To his surprise though, the Uchiha answered Naruto's blinding grin and cheerful greeting with one of his own; the fox-boy's grin widened at that, if such a thing were possible that is. Perhaps…not everyone.

"Kakashi-nii! Aren't you gonna close the door? Baka old man".

"Nani? Old?" Kakashi was startled out of his reverie. He latched the door and turned around, only to blink once. Uchiha Ryuuga was sitting in **his **house, on **his** couch, drinking **his **tea (he marveled at the fact that Naruto had poured it without spilling a single drop), and eating **his **cookies. He counted to ten mentally, using every inch of his shinobi training **not **to rudely throw the other man out of the house. Even then, it took multiple repetition of shinobi rule 25, "A shinobi knows no emotions", to make him walk over and take a place beside a busily chatting Naruto and the Uchiha.

He cleared his throat at them, only to be blatantly ignored by the absorbed pair. E ground his teeth again, repeated the entire shinobi code ten times, and instead decided to eavesdrop, discreetly.

"So Naruto-kun, how's life been?" –_huh? Who the hell **was **this guy? And **how **the hell did he know Naruto?_

"It's great. Even though Kakashi-baka-niisan is boring, his dogs are really interesting!" –_well, at least now he knew what Naruto **really **thought about him._

"Hmm…dogs huh? So do they like bite you or anything?" –_what! My dogs! Biting anyone? _

The image of Kirane gnawing on a nukenin's face flashed through his mind. _Okay…so they gnaw sometimes…but they would never bite any of the civilians or comrades. And especially not Naruto. My darned dogs have taken too much of a liking to the brat! _

Naruto giggled. "Iya, Ryuuga-nii! They don't bite!" A pang of something ran through Kakashi at that. It was silly really. To feel something like that…just because of something Naruto said. He knew the kid tended to run his mouth at times. He said things without thinking after all. And it was alright, because he was a child. Kakashi also knew that Naruto was very friendly, too friendly for his own sake sometimes. But hadn't he just been thinking about that? And hadn't he concluded that perhaps he should learn resilience from the kid and allow himself to care more?

It was pointless…and stupid really…to feel jealous. Hatake Kakashi was jealous not because of the easy way the pair on his couch got along, but because Naruto had called the Uchiha, "Ryuuga-nii". That Naruto would give such an honorific to someone he just met…and that he had comparatively taken a long time to call Kakashi that…it made him jealous. And somewhere inside of him, something ached at the thought that perhaps he was still no more than a stranger to the little blonde kid who had sneaked into his heart.

But Kakashi was practical. He always had been. So he shoved the thought away, sealed that _weakness_ into a place where it would never surface again, and set about to find out why exactly Uchiha Ryuuga was here, and if he was a threat to Naruto.

After all, personal sentiments aside, he had been assigned a task by Hokage-sama. And Naruto's safety was the most important thing.

"Ah…Ryuuga-san, you still haven't told me why exactly you are here", he said softly, using a tone that forced Ryuuga to turn around and look at him. Black met black for an instant, and the Uchiha was the first to look away. "Hokage-sama gave me your address and permission to visit", he replied grudgingly after a long tense moment.

_The Hokage…gave him permission? _

Kakashi frowned at that bit of information. Why did Hokage-sama give and Uchiha leave to visit Naruto? Especially when he had (more-or-less) given Kakashi permission to investigate the other shinobi's clan? He thought for a long second, trying to grasp at answers. But no…he was asking the wrong question. Why did Uchiha Ryuuga _need _the Hokage's permission in the first place?

Most Uchiha took (and usually got) what they wanted, trusting to their clan's name to clear the way for them, and to smoothen over any possible repercussions. The Uchiha lived to another set of rules, and like certain other powerful clans in Konoha, they were governed by their own, and didn't consider the Hokage as the absolute authority. Which once again begged the question as to why Ryuuga had been to see the Hokage…and why he was here.

"Uchiha-san…my question was…why are you here?" his tone sharpened. Even if Ryuuga was here with the Hokage's knowledge, it meant nothing. He could still be a threat, or even worse, he could have been maneuvered into coming here because the Hokage suspected him…the options were limitless.

And in the first place, Kakashi had no way of verifying _if_ Ryuuga was telling the truth. The other man's chakra signature was too low and too tightly controlled to read, not unless he used his Sharingan – Kakashi glanced over at Naruto who was squinting at the two of them – which was something he would never do with the kid around. He sagged back frustrated. There were so many possibilities, even if the Chuunin was telling the truth. He ground his teeth for the umpteenth time that day and leveled a harsh gaze on Ryuuga, trying to make him reply.

"I…the truth is, I'm here to see Naruto-kun".

_Ok…so an idiot could tell that much…Kami-sama only knew when the last time an Uchiha had come seeking Hatake Kakashi at apartment._

"I wanted to know what happened to you…after…after that night".

The room went silent. They all knew what "that night", referred to. Kakashi was confused for a moment before it all clicked. Uchiha Ryuuga was the shinobi who had rescued Naruto that night. That might have made him above suspicion in the Hokage's eyes, but it only made him all the more suspicious in Kakashi's.

"I found you Naruto-kun. And…oh gods…and thought you were…" the Uchiha's voice shook. "But you weren't, and I'm glad…to see you're okay".

"Arigato…" Naruto's voice was trembling as well and Kakashi saw tears waiting to fall the boy's cerulean orbs.

"Maa…it's my duty, ne?"

"H-Hai…but I…people don't…" Naruto was choking back sobs by now and Kakashi felt the need to intervene.

Innocent or guilty…whichever the Ryuuga was, Kakashi needed time to think, and more information before he could draw any conclusions. And Naruto…surely didn't want to be reminded of the incident. He opened his mouth to ask Ryuuga to scram. It was getting late after all, and the brat had school tomorrow.

But Naruto beat him to the chase. The kid pounced on the unsuspecting Uchiha, drawing a yelp from the man as he was hugged tightly by the child. Kakashi watched awkwardly from the side, a stranger suddenly in his own house, as the pair embraced. Naruto, he realized, was sobbing disconsolately, like the five-year old child he was. Kakashi had seen him laugh; he'd seen him shake in fear, put on a mask, pout mischievously and more. He'd seen Naruto flush with success from completing a prank, seen him scared and shaking, seen him serious as he trained the dogs, seen his strong will as he vowed to become Hokage, but he'd never seen him wanting to be held, not like this.

And besides, there was always the chance that Ryuuga was telling the truth. And he seemed to care for Naruto. Which was a good thing. Right? Kakashi shook his head at the question. Of course it was good for him. Kami-sama knew the kid had too few who saw him for who he was; too few of Konoha's villagers and shinobi could truly see underneath the underneath.

If Uchiha Ryuuga really did care for Naruto, _if _his appearance at the clearing that night was a coincidence, _if _he really wasn't a wolf in sheep's clothing…than it was great for Naruto. But if not…Kakashi swore he'd kill Ryuuga if he hurt Naruto in anyway.

Displays of emotion had never been Kakashi's strong suit and he felt uncomfortable watching the pair. So he turned away from them and picked up a mug, and went to the kitchenette on the pretext of washing it.

He firmly ignored the voice it his head that wanted him to toss Ryuuga out of the window. Naruto-kun…needed this. And Kakashi knew he could never provide such comfort to someone else. Not the way Arashi-sensei had for him. He was no Yondaime…hell, who was he kidding, he was no Uchiha Ryuuga either. He was just a messed up teenage ex-assassin…and he realized he wanted his life back. The thought made him feel shame instantly. Hadn't he been through all this already? He owed Sensei and Uzumaki-san a debt. And this was his way of repaying it.

It was unfair of him to want to go back to living his own life. If sensei had thought that way about being saddled with a messed up 6-year old with a plethora of problems and a chip on his shoulder, then where would he be now? And Uzumaki Kiei had never once resented him taking up his sensei's already precious time. It was not just a matter of repayment; it was a matter of showing gratitude to the both of them.

A presence at his shoulder startled him and he realized he had been standing at the sink with the water running. He whirled around to find it was just Ryuuga. He quirked an eyebrow at the man, not wanting to waste his words on someone he couldn't bring himself to like.

"The kid's sleeping. Cried himself out", the dislike was mutual and the Uchiha kept his sentences terse.

Kakashi studied the man for a moment, and realized that the Uchiha didn't really look like an Uchiha. Aside from his coal black eyes, there was nothing to suggest Ryuuga was from the famous (or infamous) Uchiha clan. His hair was not black, or light brown, but deep-dark purple. His skin colour too was a light brown, unlike the pale porcelain skin of his kinsmen. His build too, was all wrong for an Uchiha. He was a head taller than Kakashi and much broader shouldered than him.

Hmm…perhaps he was an Uchiha by…marriage? After all, the Uchiha were a matrilineal clan, for all that it was ruled by men, and it was not unheard of for men marrying Uchiha women to change their names. But no…Kakashi was not so disconnected from the local grapevine that he would have missed the furor that an outsider marrying an Uchiha would have caused. And besides…those eyes…were definitely Uchiha eyes.

A half-blood perhaps? Though it was rare, an Uchiha man (or woman) did occasionally marry outside the clan. This was generally discouraged because it 'weakened' the bloodline. And the resulting offspring was often shunned. Kakashi could sympathize just a little with them – while he knew what it was like to face the displeasure of the Uchiha Council of Elders, he certainly didn't know what it was like to be ostracized by your entire clan – he'd never had a clan.

And if Ryuuga **was **a half-blood, that would give him motive to blindly follow the elder's commands to gain favor. He might even have attacked a small, blonde child…

Kakashi shook his head as he attempted to clear his thoughts. He was going to need a focused, impartial attitude if he was to find the truth.

"Can we talk?"

091105

Kira-Reen

(A/N: Muahaha…yes…that's the end of the chapter…simply because my hand started cramping…and I wanted to be evil and leave you with a cliffhanger XD. Kakashi is green in two ways…as in green hair-dye and green with …can anyone fill in the blank? LoL. Anyway…the Ryuuga-Kashi meeting was a bit of a letdown to me. I was looking forward to writing it so much…but when I actually did it was sort of flat…and fizzles…because the two of them aren't really the confrontational type…hmm…anyway give me your opinions on that and the two of them okies? And to everyone who has reviewed -throws confetti at you- thank you so much! Keep reviewing and I'll keep writing…deal? Mmm…expect the next chapter as soon as I write it…)


	17. Revelations

Chapter 12-Revelations

(A/N: Woah…this is hot-of-the press, it's 12.23am on 16…oops 17 November 2005 and I just finished this. Thank you for the many reviews…as long as you guys keep reviewing…I'll keep writing XD. Unfortunately I can't respond individually to reviews because of the rules...though i did respond to one at the bottom…but if you really have a question to ask or if you just want to say hi or something…please email me or add me on msn…the address is Okay…on with the fic…it changes POV a lot of times this chapter…and we meet several canon characters…so enjoy!)

A figure lurked unseen at the top of a giant hall. The men seated below were all revered citizens of Konoha. They were people whom most ordinary shinobi were unlikely to meet in their lifetime. They were elite, pureblooded Uchiha who proudly upheld their clan's name (or so they thought). Most shinobi respected them. Citizens of Konoha venerated them. Even the heads of other clans were cowed by them.

But the figure was different. He was not taken in by their veneer of civility and superiority. He did not care for their highfalutin manners or for their supposed pedigree. He was better than them. And he knew it. The fact that he could stand here, high above them, cloaked in the darkness of well-worn timbers, without a single one of them suspecting anything, that alone was proof enough.

But nay, perhaps he was too harsh, too hasty in passing judgment. Perhaps, one might ask, it was _he_ who was too skilled for them? But no. Even a pompous fool such as the one who hid and slinked in shadows knew that it was not he who was too skillful, but they who were too overconfident. They were too mired in their traditions, too blinded by their ambition and their self-perceived glory, to notice one such as he.

And that, he surmised as he watched them plot and scheme below, as one might watch ants scurrying to and fro, that pride and that greed, would be their downfall.

The higher the pedestal, the harder the fall. And he would make sure they fell, long and hard. No matter what the cost was, the Uchiha would fall. He would see to it.

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A few hours earlier…

Uchiha Ryuuga stared incredulously at the shinobi sitting across him. Hatake Kakashi was paranoid. And he was insane. Right now, those were the only 2 things he was sure of in the world.

When the jounin had said they had to talk, Ryuuga had assumed it was something about Naruto. Something serious and life changing. Well, the resulting conversation (which couldn't really **be** called a conversation, seeing as Kakashi had been the only one talking), had been more along the lines of the jounin glaring at Ryuuga and telling him half-assed theories about why he didn't trust him.

And most of those theories involved Ryuuga casting some sort of Sharingan genjutsu over Naruto, and attacking the boy. Which quite frankly, made him hysterical. Firstly, he hadn't activated his Sharingan. Secondly, he could not possess the Sharingan, it was because of a simple matter of genes. Ryuuga's father, had never activated his Sharingan, which was why at an early age, he had given up being a ninja, and pursued a career as a scholar. This meant that his father had inherited a recessive gene from his own parents. The only way he would have been capable of producing a son (or daughter) who could at least have the slightest chance of possessing the coveted doujutsu, would have been to marry a woman of Uchiha blood. But his father hadn't. Instead, he had married outside of the clan, which meant that his resulting offspring, namely one Uchiha Ryuuga, would never be able to inherit the clan Bloodline. And that rendered every single one of Hatake Kakashi's (absolutely) inane speculations impossible.

Not to mention the fact that _he _was the one who had rescued the boy. And Kakashi seemed to have forgotten about that, so he reminded him. Bizarrely enough, the jounin seemed to think that made him all the more suspicious.

Ryuuga gritted his teeth. It was impossible to come up with something to pacify the kid. He was loony, plain and simple. Whether or not the ANBU had made him that way, he didn't care. But the kid was barmy, for sure. And he couldn't believe that Sandaime-sama had entrusted the care of Naruto to this…this lunatic!

Maybe he was overreacting. But not one bit of Kakashi's screwed-up (to his mind) logic made any sense to him. Why would the fact that he had rescued Naruto count _against _him? And where had the teenager learned to think like that? Or maybe it was a Jounin thing…all of them seemed to be batty. Ryuuga shuddered, no wonder he wasn't a Jounin – he wasn't twisted enough.

"Hatake-san…you're missing the point. Hokage-sama sent me here, which means that _he _obviously trusts me. Surely you don't mean to imply…" he trailed off. _Chew on that, you smart-ass._ Not even the famous (or infamous) Hatake Kakashi could claim that he was better that the Sandaime-Hokage.

Kakashi just leveled him with a stare that implied he was guilty. Ryuuga sighed and resisted the urge to scream and bang his head on the table. There was no reasoning with washed-out boy ex-assassins who saw conspiracies at every single turn. So he stood up stiffly, glancing at the rapidly darkening sky.

"Well, Hatake-san, as ah…interesting…as this conversation has been, I really have to go…patrol duty, you know? But if you ever get _serious _about catching the bastard behind the attack, I'll be glad to help. I'll see you next week then, I promised the kiddo I'd visit. Ja ne", he said, leaving before the other ninja could get a word in edgewise.

SsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssS

Kakashi waited by the door, waiting for Naruto to stuff himself with another bite of ramen. It had become routine for the pair to start out the day together; Kakashi would drop Naruto at the Academy before going to the mission room. The side effect of that, the Jounin reflected, was that he was often early when it came to report submission. Having kids, Kakashi concluded, definitely ruined your reputation.

He whistled tunelessly as he waited for the kid, and frowned. What was taking Naruto so long?

"Naruto?" There was no reply. "Oi, gaki…I'm going to leave…" Still no response. He groaned. He hated it when Naruto was being difficult.

Suddenly the kid appeared, bag and lunchbox nowhere in sight. "Eh? Where's your bag?"

"Ano…Kakashi-nii…can I…stay home today?"

"Hmm…let me think…are you feeling sick?"

Naruto shook his head. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"No", the boy said, scuffling the floor, as he was wont to do when nervous.

"Then no…but why don't you want to go?"

"I just…I just don't want to…"

"Eh? But I thought you like school? In fact Hinagata-san told me you were one of her most –" Kakashi stopped when he realized babbling wasn't helping the situation.

"Hey? What's wrong?"

"I just…please…"

"Naruto…it's wrong to skip school, you know?"

"But…but…you're late all the time!" Kakashi's visible eye narrowed at that before relaxing. The dark orb flickered inscrutably with emotions alien to the 6-year old.

"I have my reasons for them…Naruto…someday…maybe I will tell you…but you have to go to school…unless you can give me a reason why you shouldn't?"

"Kakashi-nii…" he whined. Kakashi ground his teeth. Why didn't the boy want to go to school? He'd thought everything had been fine, especially after he'd talked to the boy's sensei. And even before that, Naruto had still liked going to school. So what was wrong now? What was it with this day…it was not special right? Kakashi racked his brain…trying hard to comprehend the working of a preschooler's mind. And yesterday…nothing special…it had been the last day of mid-term break for Naruto…other than that –

Wait…mid-term break was over…which meant Naruto was starting new term…and a new school year. And he would be moving up a grade…

"Naruto…is it because you're moving up a year?" Naruto looked up, surprise written across his face before he nodded shyly. "I…I don't want it to be…like before", he replied softly. Kakashi bit his lip.

"Well, it will", Naruto was startled again as hurt flashed across his chubby face.

"It'll be like _before_", he said, placing emphasis on the word, "because Hinagata-sensei will still be teaching you, and all of your classmates will be with you. Well, not all maybe, because the ones who failed their tests will have to stay back. You see, it's because moving up a year doesn't mean changing classes, it just means that you've graduated to the next – " but Naruto didn't hear his words, he had already run in to get his bag, and was out the door. Kakashi just chuckled at the boy's antics and took his hand.

It was a new start. And the future looked bright indeed.

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(A/N: I have no idea when Naruto's birthday is…so for all intents and purposes, in this fic, Naruto is born in September, by our reckoning…and the scene below takes place in March, 6.5 years after Yondaime's death and Naruto's birth.)

Lunchtime at the Academy…

Naruto walked out of the classroom talking happily with a fellow classmate. Just six months ago, such a scene would have been improbable. Six months seemed to be a lifetime to the child. So many things had happened since then. He was happy, for once. And he had friends. He now had people to talk to, to laugh with, and to play with. He was no longer the lone blonde kid, always peering at the crowd from the outside; he was somebody now, in the eyes of others, and that mattered to him.

Maybe, his friends weren't _close_ friends, but then again, that was to be expected. His classmates were all 2 years older than him, which was a lot to a six-year old kid. So they tended to be aloof, and to treat him more like a little brother than a peer. But he didn't care. After all, he had Kakashi-nii. And finally having, not just friends, but someone he could call **family**, that meant so much to him. It all meant so much to the little boy who scant months ago had had no solace, no one to turn to at all.

And besides, one of his classmates had told him that there were finally going to be people _his _age around here – the new class coming in would be full of 7-year olds, all his age! Naruto beamed at the thought, maybe, just maybe, this was his chance to make a real best friend!

He looked at the playground hopefully; surely that was where everyone would be. But nobody new was there. Just familiar faces from his class, and a few groups of older students sparring. Naruto's heart sunk. Just then, a group of children came swarming out of the school. They were all small, their clothes freshly ironed and unwrinkled, and they were chattering excitedly. Naruto grinned. They new kids were here.

He watched them for a while, trying to decide who he should talk to first. Most of them began a game of tag, but he dared not venture near a large group. So he turned his attention to the rest, surveying them for a while, before picking out the ones who seemed…friendlier.

First, there was a shorthaired blonde girl with warm green eyes, chatting with a few other girls by the side. But…the gaggle of girls with her scared him off. Then there was a group of boys near where he was seated. The loudest of them, was a brown-haired boy, with red-striped running down his cheeks, who had a puppy! Naruto grinned, he liked puppies, and he was sure that anyone who had a dog had to be an easygoing person. Seated beside him was a spiky-haired sleepy looking boy, who was conversing quietly with another brown-haired boy with swirl-tattooed cheeks. But their ease and familiarity with each other made him loath to intrude on them.

Then there were the 3 quiet ones. A mysterious, dark glasses-wearing kid stood in a corner of the place the newbies occupied. He seemed all right, but he had an odd habit of occasionally bending a ear in one direction, almost as if he were listening to some invisible creature only he could see. A few meters away, was a purple-haired, pale-eyed girl. She was sunken in herself, and flinched nervously whenever anyone approached, so he decided to leave her alone.

And lastly, standing in a corner beside a tree was a blacked haired, black-eyed boy, practicing throwing shuriken. Naruto was drawn by the kid's steady throwing, and was impressed. Most first-years were only allowed to start learning to throw late in their last term, whereas this guy already knew how to throw one perfectly. Naruto felt a pang of jealousy as the raven-haired boy let loose a trio of perfectly timed projectiles; he himself had only been at it for a few months, and though Kakashi-nii had promised to start teaching him as soon as he learned about throwing and using kunai as well, the jounin was yet to make good on the promise.

And there was something about those obsidian orbs that seemed so familiar, something about them called to him and drew him like a moth drawn to flame. Naruto was pondering if he should go over, working up the courage to go talk to the other kid, as he saw a pair of his classmates walk over to the kid. A sense of impending doom gripped him. Those two were the notorious Ishida brothers. They had given him a tough time in the past, always ragging on him and making jokes at his expense. But in the recent months, with the discovery of Naruto's prank-genius, they had actually become, what Naruto would call, good friends.

But he knew, and had always known, that the pair liked to have, what they called, 'harmless' fun, with kids smaller than they were. On the other hand, the duo was also well known for their abysmal sparring skills. And if the level of his shuriken-throwing skills were any gauge, Naruto was sure the shuriken kid was no slouch at hand-to-hand combat either. He sensed it was time for an intervention.

" –think you're so pro, huh? I bet you –" Naruto appeared beside the trio just as the elder Ishida had started his rant. The shuriken kid's eyes were already starting to smolder. _Uh oh…time for one Uzumaki-style intervention!_

"Hey hey, Ishida-san, Ishida-san!"

"Huh? Oh…hey Naruto", the Ishidas both had short attention spans.

"Did you know? Class 3-C played this trick on Hinagata-sensei…they poured soap water over her worksheets!"

"What! To our sensei! Kuso…we better play a trick on their Mizuki-sensei then. Can't let them think they're better than us, just because they're older!" the pair sped off again.

Naruto turned around to find the object of his previous study now studying _him _curiously. It was disconcerting to say the least, and Naruto felt as if those eyes as dark as the night could somehow pierce through him and read his thought. It was not a pleasant feeling at all.

"I could have handled them", the boy said as last, slightly miffed. Naruto shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yeah, well, I sorta know those guys, and the question if is _they _could handle _you_", he said. The other kid studied him again for a long moment, before saying "You weren't in class when Iruka-sensei called…"

"Oh yea, that. I'm in…another class", he said. White lies had never hurt anybody, and years spent observing people had thought him how to read them. And that instinct now told him that this kid wouldn't take kindly to a kid his own age being in a senior class to him. And spending all that time with Kakashi had taught him that the truth was often not required of one…and that there were specific ways one could, not quite, tell the truth.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto", he said with a grin.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke, yoroshiku", the other said with a slight, polite bow.

They stared at each other, both unsure of what to do or say next. Naruto, as always, took the initiative. "So, who taught you to throw like that?"

"An uncle".

"Oh yeah…you have a huge clan, right?" Sasuke nodded to the question.

"Ermm…do you know an Uchiha Ryuuga?" Sasuke's face brightened at once.

"Yeah. He's one of my older cousin. He used to play with me when I was younger, but I don't see him very often, because Otou-sama doesn't like..." he trailed off, realizing he was talking about clan business to a boy he had met scarce minutes ago. His eyes narrowed with suspicion suddenly.

"How do _you _know him anyway?"

"Oh…well…I er..." Naruto hesitated, debating inwardly whether the truth was appropriate in this case. He took a deep breath. "He saved my life", he said sincerely, willing the Uchiha to believe him.

"I see…so, do you wanna have a throwing competition?" the Uchiha with an overconfident grin, sure that Naruto didn't know how to throw a shuriken. Naruto just grinned back confidently. "Sure".

The two boys whipped out their metal projectiles, about to begin a throwing competition, and, though they were unaware of it, a lifelong friendship.

-Kira-Reen

171105

**About the School System in Konoha Academy in WOTS world:**

The Academy admits children, usually, at the age of 7. They progress with their classmates and teacher for the rest of their time at the Academy, provided they aren't held back. Every year, the students are advancement. In their fifth year, they are given 2 chances to take the final test. This is the reason why in canon, Naruto has failed 3 times by the time we meet him it is also why he seems to be unfamiliar with Neiji and co. Since in fact, he was not admitted year ahead of his peers, but a year and a half. Therefore, he will, in this fic (most likely) graduate ahead of not just Sasuke's cohort, but Neiji's as well.

(A/N: Ermm…are you guys clear about that? If not, then mail me…I'll reply…eventually…and yes…I know this is all too short…I promise I'll be back with more in a few days…so wait up! On the other hand, my crazy laptop –which is presently making funny sounds at me- is likely to go anytime soon…which means I might lose my connection to the net…so if I go AWOL, please understand that I have NOT given up on the fic but am merely delayed due to…technical difficulties…and remember…please read and review. Thanks!)

To Miss Selarne:

Thanks for reviewing…and yea...now that you mentioned it, Naruto instantly taking to Ryuuga is not well-explained. But in my defense…I really know very little about kids…which is why my child characters seem to me to be wise beyond their years…but one thing I _have_ noticed is that small kids are either very affectionate toward people, or they ignore them completely…and to Naruto, Uchiha Ryuuga just isn't anyone. He's someone who cared enough to save Naruto's life.

To Naruto, that means a lot…that someone he's never met before would care enough to help him, and that that person actually looked beyond whatever it is that everyone else seems to hate about him…and the reason he cried…was partly because of the memory of that trauma…and partly because he could…you see, with Kakashi, Naruto can't allow himself to cry too much…because that's the kind of relationship they have…at heart, they are 2 very private people who have led very private lives till this point…and even though Naruto is, by far, the more open of the two…he can't let himself go in front of Kakashi simply because he doesn't know if Kakashi'll catch him…whereas Ryuuga just gives off a completely different vibe…

But on the other hand, on re-reading, the transition does seem too awkward and unclear…unless you think of Naruto as an emo kid…lol…so yah…sorry for the long (mostly) irrelvant note…and I guess I'll have to re-write the chapter…along with a few others…when (or if ever) I finish this fic. So once again, thanks for the comment XD


	18. Purpose

(A/N: Okay…I'm sort of late posting this chapter…sorry I got sidetracked because I was reading Lady Alchymia's super-addictive, extremely engaging Harry Potter and the Emerald Tablet. It's truly the best story I've read, both online and in print in the past year, so if you are a HP fanfic reader, or even if you aren't, I recommend you read it! ahem ok…the fic…it's back to Kakashi's POV in this chapter, and he, er…sounds like Shikamaru a bit…lol…and for those who found the going slow…well, I skip ahead a little in this chap…so as always, enjoy…and please do review XD.)

Chapter 13 – The Import of Purpose

Part 1 (because my computer may go anytime soon!)

He peered out the thick forest foliage, catching occasional glimpses of smooth gray patches. Normally, one would have had a hard time seeing the sky if one was strolling through the forest. He was after all the in the heart of the Konoha Forest, surrounded by dense untamed vegetation. The nearest human was about 50 miles away.

But Kakashi was not on the ground. He was a hundred feet up, lying on a broad branch, strategically positioned under the leaves so that no raindrops would fall on him if the clouds decided to drop their burdens onto the earth. He watched a cloud drifting along slowly; marveling at the calming effect the activity was having on him. He wondered why he had never done this before. It was…peaceful. Oh right…He usually slept when he could on missions. If there was one rule the ANBU veterans lived by, it was sleep when you can, eat when you can, and have sex when you can. And Kakashi had been, or rather, still was (the hound mask attached to his belt was reminder of that), one of the longest-servicing ANBU. Things like that were instinctive to him by now.

In fact, as long as he had lived, or at least as long as he had been a shinobi, Kakashi had followed that rule (well, maybe not the part about having…you know). He had always been the epitome of efficiency. He had turned in reports on time, dutifully done all manner of assignments, and practiced his skills everyday. He had memorized the shinobi rulebook by 5, and for a very long time, he had lived his lives by following those rules to the letter.

Thus, he had been the very living example of a model shinobi. Which would have been great, if he were inhuman that it. For a very long time, he had gone through, not life, but the motions of life. He had lived his life to be a shinobi, and not been a shinobi to live his life. And that had been…destructive. For if there was ever a reason a shinobi could give for being who they ultimately were – cold-blooded killers from infancy, who raised other to be equally ruthless murderers – it was that in the end, being a shinobi was a way of life, and they were merely following the footsteps of their ancestors. Such a path, would have surely led him to a quick and bloody end (though he had many a time wondered if such a fate would have been better).

But then, Obito had died. And in giving the blinded Kakashi a Sharingan eye, Obito had done more than restore his sight, he had enhanced it, and he had opened Kakashi's remaining hitherto-covered eye. The death of a boy he had barely known (though he now called him friend, and brother), had given Kakashi not just his sight back, but his life as well. Sometimes, he wondered if Obito, oversensitive, occasionally empty-headed Obito, had known what he was doing. But the Obito he had seen die, the Obito he had buried, was far different from the Obito he had known in life.

And while the sacrifice had opened him up to some things, they had also shaken the very foundation of his being. It had made him question the tenets he so revered. And it had forced him to avoid the problem. And with the deliberate death of his sensei, he had lost his last anchor, and fallen even deeper into the unspeakable hells of the shinobi world. He had clung tightly and persistently to the final vestiges of a life he had never truly **lived**, and it had cost him – _Rin, lying dead and bloody on the ground. Jiraiya's constant prompts that he quit the ANBU, and his subsequent refusal to continue their relationship. His alienation from his peers – _oh yes, it had cost him. And he hurt now. His heart ached with the cost of refusing to change. But it hadn't at that time. He had been too shocked, too numbed inside to feel anything; he had doubted for a time that he ever would again.

But a little blonde ball of energy had forced its way into his life, forcing change to occur. Naruto had turned his life upside down. He could barely recognize himself. And yet he knew, at heart, that he was still the same. Perhaps, who he was today, was the person he had been meant to be all along.

The kid had come into his life, warping everything around him very much like a tornado. The jounin's chest tightened. And he was afraid the kid would speed out of his life in the same way.

But his heart lightened at the thought of his departure this evening – and the sending off he had received.

_Naruto sulked into his bowl of ramen. Kakashi raised an eye at the boy as he buckled on the last piece of his armor; it was unusual to see the child leave a bowl of ramen untouched, the kid had an unhealthy appetite for the food._

_"Not hungry?"_

_Naruto glared at him balefully. "No", he said._

_"You know…not eating isn't going to change anything…" Naruto scowled at him this time. Kakashi stifled a chuckle. Naruto was a brat sometimes. But he was an adorable brat._

_"I thought you said you would never refuse a bowl of **free** ramen, Naru-chan?"_

_"Don't call me that!"_

_"Hai, kaka", Kakashi said sarcastically, making Naruto break into a lopsided grin._

_"Hey, hey, Kakashi-nii, why do you have to leave?"_

_"I told you. It's a mission. I'm a ninja, and it's my J-O-B to do these missions", he said nonchalantly._

_"But you're my bodyguard! What's gonna happen if something happens and you're not here?" the boy whined, turning huge, pitiful blue eyes Kakashi's way._

_Kakashi shook his head. Naruto had learned early on in their time together that those eyes of is could melt most hearts, but unfortunately for him, Kakashi's was encased in a barrier of ice (or so the boy thought). "**Naruto! **We already went through this once. I have a field mission. Therefore, I have to leave", he said, pretending to be irritated though his heart agreed with what the boy said. _

_He was Naruto's guardian, and he shouldn't have to leave the boy. The truth was, Sandaime had had to call him in and reason with him before he eventually accepted. It hadn't been the Hokage's fault. An old comrade had recommended he take the mission, and Sandaime actually offered to cover for him and assign another. But even though anxiety had overcome him for a moment, he had turned the offer down and accepted the mission. As always, his mind ruled over his heart. Some things were just impossible to alter. _

_Such partings would be frequent in their time together. And having a verbal and mental altercation every time he had to leave for more than a day would be tiring. As such, he knew he had to force Naruto to be self-sufficient for a while, no matter how much it hurt the both of them. He only hoped that what he was going to do would not have any lasting impact on the fledgling bond they shared._

"_Anyway, I'm not your bodyguard, Naruto. I'm your guardian. And as for safety, that's why I'm having Uchiha Ryuuga come stay the nights with you and to fetch you from school in the afternoons. On days when he has patrol duty till evening, Hinagata-sensei has offered to make sure you get lunch and to occupy you till he comes. The only thing you have to do is get yourself breakfast on the mornings he has midnight shifts. I don't know why you're sulking, and frankly, I don't ca-", he stopped, remembering what had happened the **last **time he had said those words._

"_I don't have the time to find out. I'm leaving and I'll be back in 2 weeks or 3 at the max. Ja", he said, determined to head out the door way before the child could gripe anymore._

"_Aniki…" the plaintive note in the boy's voice made him stop, hand on the door._

"_Nani?" he said, turning around. A sudden flash of blonde was all he saw before he tumbled to the floor, thrown by Naruto's unexpected hug around the neck. "Naruto…" he growled warningly, but the smile on the boy's face made him forget what he wanted to say, and he couldn't help wanting to smile back at the child._

_The boy giggled and Kakashi's stern mask slipped and cracked as he chuckled back. Moments later, the pair lay on the floor, Naruto gasping for breath, Kakashi quiet as reflected he on how **good **it felt to laugh; neither of them could remember why they had begun in the first place. And just like that, the barrier between them disappeared._

_He quirked an eyebrow at the kid again. "So, I thought you were mad at me?"_

"_I was! I mean I am!"_

"_But why?"_

"_Because…because you're leaving…"_

"_But I'll be back…and you have Ryuuga-san for company"._

"_It's not the same", Naruto said softly. Kakashi did beam at Naruto this time, although the gesture was wasted as his face was covered by his customary mask._

"…_Well, I'll be back, ok?"_

"_H-Hai", Naruto nodded glumly._

"_Great. I'll be off then. Be good to Ryuuga". Naruto rolled his eyes and stared at Kakashi. Kakashi eye-smiled at him. _

"_Okay…Okay…just try not to play too many pranks on him"._

"_Hah! Ryuuga-nii! Won't mind!"_

"_Oh, you know him so well?"_

"_Yeah…besides, he's cooler then you about stuff like that", Naruto couldn't resist adding the parting shot. He smirked at Kakashi. Ever since his two 'brothers' has met, there had been a certain…animosity between them, and despite the fact that they had both toned down in the past months, Naruto knew there was still a slight…rivalry between them, and he exploited it to his advantage at every chance._

_Kakashi glared at the boy. "Cooler…than…me?" Naruto gulped._

"_Iie…how could that be possible? Someone cooler than my kakoii aniki?" Naruto gasped theatrically. That only served to infuriate Kakashi and he gave the boy a well-earned cuff on the head._

"_Itai! Kakashi-nii!"_

"_Hmph. Anyway, I almost forgot to tell you. Someone else might be watching over you as well. And he might drop in with his otouto to see you"._

"_Huh? Who? Who's his younger brother?"_

"_His younger brother is some one you might know…a certain Uchiha Sasuke", Kakashi replied._

"_Oh! Sasuke, yeah, he's a friend. A good friend. So the person is Uchiha Itachi?"_

"_Ah, you know of him?"_

"_Yeah, I think he's pretty cool. Sasuke told me his nii-san's only 14 and has been an ANBU captain for a year!" Naruto said excitedly. Kakashi suppressed a smile at that. He liked the idea of Naruto and Itachi being friends. If any one could change Itachi (and his inevitably bloody fate), it would be Naruto._

"_Cooler than me?" he said._

"_Kakashi-nii!"_

"_Well, ja then, I really am late now. It's all your fault, brat", he said in mock anger._

"_Aniki, weren't you the one who said that I was ruining your reputation?" Naruto said slyly. Kakashi eye-smiled at him before leaving. It was good to have that kid around._

And it made him worried to be away from Naruto. The reason he was up here now, gazing at (what he could see of) the sky, was that he couldn't sleep. He kept worrying about the kid and thoughts of Naruto being tortured were tormenting him.

It wasn't that he was being woken by nightmares about the boy; it was that he couldn't **get** to sleep in the first place. Sleep that he needed direly. He was about 25 miles out from Konoha, and about another 60 miles from the edge of the border where several Konoha shinobi, as well as those sent to check on the initial victims, had disappeared. The task had then fallen to one of the best trackers in the ANBU, who had taken over Kakashi's mantle, and the ninja had been called back from a mission in Wind Country. Unfortunately, the shinobi had been injured on the return home, and there was no one to fill his place. Except for his predecessor. And so once again, here he was, trying to wear a mask he had thought he had thrown away.

It wasn't fair. It was not fair at all that he was asked to reopen a chapter of his life he had closed just months ago. But life, he knew, was never fair. And it was his duty, to go where his Hokage ordered him. Of course theoretically, he could choose to deny a mission. Theoretically, he could also have chosen to become an artist. He had loved to draw once, when he was a kid. And Kakashi had been fairly sure that he had been good. It was one of his treasured childhood memories – showing a crayon drawing of something he had drawn to his mother. He could remember her compliment him laughingly as she drew her own pictures, and if he concentrated hard enough, he could even remember the sound of her laughter. He must have been very young, for his mother had died when he was 3.

Soon after that, he had had no time to pursue such frivolous things. The White Fang of Konoha might have been a genius, but he had also been a strict taskmaster. And with the death of his mother at Stone's hands, Kakashi had had a motive to become a shinobi.

Revenge then, had been his reason for becoming a shinobi. No wonder his life had been fed up. He had learnt at an early age that anything born of revenge was doomed to die an ugly, ghastly death. And he had thought, till his surmising today had proven him otherwise, that becoming obsessed by vengeance was the only mistake he had left to commit. So he was wrong.

But strangely enough, finding the reason he had for becoming a shinobi, had relieved him. For once, he had a purpose for having begun this path. For once, his life had true meaning. And while that did not mean much to a man whose chosen occupation was likely his death sentence, he felt contentment.

After all, if you got right down to the meat of things, you would discover that the man in question did not exactly detest his job. He did not detest the rush one got in battle. He did not detest the thrill of facing a skilled foe. He did not deny the excitement of mastering new techniques, nor did he deny the adrenaline high gained when he was tracking a slippery opponent. And while he might not openly admit that he liked the admiration he got from others for being who he was, or that he enjoyed the discomfort he brought others, he did take pleasure in those two sensations.

What he did detest were the cries of innocents, the smell of precious blood spilling out and the scent of fear smothering him. What disgusted him was that the more primal part of him reveled in these sensations, at that in some twisted way, he craved them. What woke him in the middle of the night were not the memories of these incidents, but the questions they brought with them. Why did he do what he did? What was he a shinobi? Why him? Why did he have to do the dirty work? Just why.

And while they disturbed him, he simply could not quit. For a man like him, being a shinobi was living – the day he was stripped of his hitai-ate was the day he lay dead. Tonight at least, he had found an answer to one of those questions. And while he may never find the answers to the rest, he had no other option. To put it simply, he could not just stop being a shinobi. His hands were too used to holding cruel hard steel. His eyes were too used to focusing on everything and anything. His ears too primed for the first wrong footfall. And his nose too alert to abnormal scents.

In short, he could never become a civilian. Because he had not been born one. But sometimes though, sometimes his hands remembered holding hard crayon. Sometimes his nose remembered the sharp (though not unpleasant) smell of the acrylic paints his mother had kept. And sometimes, his ears remembered pleasant sounds. But his eyes, they never saw anything but red. Red and grey. So the shinobi drifted to sleep, content in his thoughts for once. Tomorrow, he would hunt.

(A/N: okay, that was short. But part 2 is still a bit raw…so I can't put it out yet…and I'm afraid my computer will combust before I finish it…which means you guys hafta wait until I get a new one before I update…so yea…getting out as much as I can…just in case my stored versions go bonkers or something XD…so read and review as always! And thanks to those who have…by the way, I love the new private messaging system…makes it so much easier to respond to you guys! Preview of next part: Naruto and Sasuke gang up on poor Itachi! Oh no! How's an ANBU captain to deal with a pair of prankers! Find out next chappie. Ja!)


	19. Aniki

A/N: Wow! 50 reviews for the last chapter!does happy dance You guys rawk! Thank you so much. So here is the next chapter…crucial bits of plot development here…somewhere amidst all the fluff. Heh. And Itachi and Naru meet!

Chapter 13 – Aniki

Part 2

A tiny, pitiful fire, which had long burned out. Tree branches artfully arranged to mask the presence of hammocks from all but the trained eye. Other than that, there was no sign that a group of men had passed through here; no sign that they had been slaughtered. In other words, it was a typical shinobi encampment.

Or so his eyes told him. His nose told him otherwise. The sharp tang of blood had been so strong that, even 3 miles out, he had been able to let it lead him here. And standing right here, at the epicenter, he was almost overwhelmed by it all.

But he had learned long ago how to gag his first reflex – his stomach demanded he hurled. And he had discovered than a clear mind required willful blindness. So he stood there for a second more, before he deliberately opened his senses, allowing scents to bombard his (almost) painful channels. There – he pinpointed the place the stench was strongest. It was just a few meters out from where he was standing.

He stared at the spot for a while, struggling to figure out why the smell of blood was strongest here. He closed his eyes for a moment and opened just the Sharingan this time. No difference. There was chakra residue here, but no more than the rest of the campsite where someone had clearly slaughtered not one, but two, ANBU squads. He shook his head at the thought. Two squads of Konoha's finest killers, wiped out with minimal signs of struggle. By one person.

Sweat beaded his forehead as he focused his energy on the Sharingan. It was unmistakable. There was only one other signature mingled with the other traces he could see, which did not have that familiar sense that all other Konoha shinobi had. It should have been impossible. But there it was. And Kakashi himself was all too clear of the wide gap between shinobi in the upper echelons.

He wasn't a megalomaniac. But even he had to admit that his skill level was far above a typical jounin's, much in the same way that said jounin was far better than your average chuunin. And for someone like him, it would have been possible. Something in Kakashi's heart grew cold at the thought that there was a shinobi who could equally match him running around Fire unchecked. He prayed hard that the ninja was only as strong as him…and not stronger.

But then he turned back to his task, with Sharingan closed this time. And enlightenment struck him as he studied the ground. A large patch was darker than the rest…almost as if the soil had been overturned there. He probed some of it with his foot. The soil was not loose and soft, but hard…as though someone had pressed down on it. He got to work.

Moments later, he was staring down at the rotting corpses of his comrades. He sighed. Oddly enough, there were no marks on 2 of the bodies, and the other 8 only had slight wounds. Not enough to kill them. He finally found the item the first squad had been sent to retrieve. Odd…the killer had not even bothered to take it. Which meant that the item (which had warranted an S class mission) had not been the target of this attack.

His mind worked furiously for a few seconds. Either the ninja (for there was no question in his mind now) had been coming into Fire for a reason, or he was a psychopath who killed for pleasure. And presently, Kakashi was more inclined toward the first theory. No shinobi who had taken leave of his wits should have been able to so systematically massacre a group of ANBU.

He sighed and put the bodies back into the graves after taking their masks as proof of death. There was no trail here…but if his theory was true and the shinobi was going toward Konoha, then he had better return with haste and warn the village. Besides, he also had to alert the hunter-nin to the whereabouts of the dead shinobi. His mind made up, Sharingan no Kakashi disappeared into thin air as he set off toward the village.

"Nii-san, are you ready yet?" his brother Sasuke yelled loudly. Itachi sighed softly as he finished stowing away his armour; his brother was so impatient; his brother was so unlike him. And while Itachi was glad of that most of the time, the boy's whiny character occasionally grated on his nerves enough to annoy him.

"Nii-san!" Itachi's eye twitched at the shrill scream as he pulled his customary off-duty clothing on. He slowly walked out of the room and down the steps.

"Hurry up, Itachi-nii! You're so slow!" That statement was the last straw.

"Shut up. If you complain one more time, I'm going alone", Itachi said indifferently. Hurt flashed through the younger brother's eyes and his shoulders slumped.

"G-Gomen nii-san…it's just, me and Naruto were planning what to do during lunch yesterday…" Itachi understood what was unspoken – Sasuke rarely got a chance to play with his peers. He pursed his lips for a moment. Already…already the clan and their stupid ideals were affecting Sasuke. For so long, he had purposefully tried to be the powerful prodigy the Uchiha craved…all to protect Sasuke. He had long known his fate would be ghastly and cruel. But if it spared Sasuke the same end, that he would willing accept the hand life had dealt him.

Itachi studied the scrawny little boy before him. He watched Sasuke fiddle with the strings that were tied around the lunch packet he carried. It astounded him sometimes, that he could feel such strong feelings for such a creature.

Uchiha Itachi was known for many things – his ruthlessness, his genius, his frighteningly excellent assassination skills, and his prodigious mastery of his clan's doujutsu, the Sharingan. But no where in that list was it stated that he had a compassionate heart. In fact, most would say that he were the exact opposite – his ANBU superiors were known to whisper about "that strange Uchiha kid" and the shivers he sent down their spine.

And yet, something drove him to **feel** for this boy. Something made him worry about Sasuke's future. It could be that some part of him simply did not want another to share his hellish fate. But no. It was…something deeper…something intangible which drove him to mind the boy, to listen to him, to think about him, to protect him. Something made him care. Was it blood then? Was that what bound them together? Mere genes?

Itachi felt oddly disturbed; for even as his mind told him Sasuke was a useless weakling, his heart cherished the bond between them…his very being wanted to **care **for the boy. At the same time, the thought that perhaps everyone was governed by something higher…compelled by a rule that could not be influenced by scheming humans, it oddly comforted him.

"Ne, nii-san, do you think I'll be like you one day?" the question came out-of –the-blue and would have startled Itachi…if he didn't hear a million times a day.

He glanced at Sasuke and found the boy looking up at him adoringly. The adulation in his brother's gaze evoked more questions. Was it the same for Sasuke? Did he have no other choice than to revere his older brother? And what if their places were switched? What if Sasuke had been born first? Would he have retained his personality? Or would he have become like Itachi was no, and would Itachi would have been like him? For a second, just for one little moment, Uchiha Itachi wondered what it would have been like to live another life. And then he turned to leave, surrendering to the inevitability of fate, and absentmindedly noting the way Sasuke's eyes surrendered the pain he felt at being ignored.

Fate, little brother. Fate cannot be avoided. And just as I cannot escape the life awaiting me, I cannot stop hurting you. For it was destined that I be born first and you second. 

A few hours ago…

"Ohayo, Naruto-kun", Ryuuga greeted him.

"Ohayo!" Naruto greeted Ryuuga. It was a Saturday, 5 days since Kakashi left. And while Naruto did miss his "aniki", being with Ryuuga took the edge off his worry. Besides, there was a plus side to Ryuuga living with him – Kakashi was just no fun to be with in the morning.

It wasn't that his nii-san was not a morning person. Kakashi had a habit of waking up in the wee hours of the day and disappearing. Oh no…Hatake Kakashi was definitely a morning person. It was just that the elite ninja was often somber when he returned from these outings, which meant that Naruto couldn't prank him in the morning. After all, even mischief-makers had a rule of conduct. And it was just not fair to play a joke on someone who was down. Or rather…it was in the best interests of the person playing the prank…

"So Naruto, are you ready?"

The other plus was that Ryuuga was a Chuunin. Which, while making him less kick-ass than Kakashi-nii, definitely meant that he had more free time. Which meant that he could spare the time to train Naruto. Of course, it didn't hurt that Ryuuga had (like many other Chuunin), served a stint as a teacher at the Academy.

"Hai!" Ryuuga laughed at the enthusiastic response before he put on an uncharacteristically serious mien.

"Ah…Naruto…before we begin, I have to ask. Why do you want to be a shinobi?"

Naruto immediately dropped the happy grin and stared into his empty bowl.

"Because…I want to be stronger. When I was younger, I wanted to be the Hokage, because I wanted…people to know me…I didn't…want to be all alone. But, in the past year…since Kakashi-nii took me in…I…I'm not alone. But I still want to be stronger…so I don't have to rely on others to protect me".

Ryuuga watched the boy, amazed to see him speak so determinedly. Naruto might be young in years, but the shinobi began to understand that in terms of experience, the boy was head and shoulders above the rest of his peers.

"Saa…well, in that case let's start", he said, reaching out to stack the dishes in the sink.

"Ne, Ryuuga-sensei, where are we going?"

"Well, I know a training place not far from here", he replied, glad to see the boy's exuberant personality back.

"Yosh! Let's go!" Naruto stood up and bounded out of the couch. Ryuuga smirked and pulled him back just before he reached the door.

"Naruto…we have to clean up first…and dress and get your gear…" Naruto sighed at that.

15 minutes later they were standing in a training area close to the Uchiha compound. "Okay, Naruto-kun, show me what you've learned about kunai and shuriken throwing".

For the next few hours, Naruto practiced at the target boards with Ryuuga guiding him occasionally. Eventually, the pair decided it was time to take a break.

"Ryuuga-nii…it's lunch time…"

"Aa. I know".

"Ryuuga-nii! Let's go eat!" Naruto tugged at the Chuunin. Ryuuga raised an eyebrow at the still energetic kid. "Go? Oh…we're not going any where", he said, smiling softly.

"But…we have to eat…"

"And we will".

"But we aren't going anywhere?"

"Nope. We're eating here, beneath this tree", Ryuuga said.

"Eh?" Naruto stared at Ryuuga. "But we haven't brought any food!" he exclaimed.

"He didn't bring any because I told him I would", a voice came from behind Naruto. The boy whirled around in a panic, his heart thudding in his chest as he was brought face to face with a dark-grey haired stranger who seemed to emit a sinister aura that gripped him and rooted him to the ground. His large blue eyes widened as he heaved great breaths trying desperately not to hyperventilate.

_No…not again. It's not happening again. Ryuuga-nii will protect me this time surely. _

_**Ah…but he knew Ryuuga-san didn't he.**_

****A shiver crept down his spine and his vision wavered. "Oi! Naruto, are you ok?"

That voice…he knew it. Sasuke! His eyes locked onto the boy holding the hand of the stranger and he almost collapsed with relief. Of course! He glanced at Sasuke's brother and wanted to hit himself. The guy looked very similar to Sasuke, except for the lines that prematurely marked the teen's face and his grey-tinted hair.

Somehow, Naruto found his voice and forced himself to answer the question. "Aa…Hai, I'm fine".

"You don't look it", his friend quipped. Naruto just stuck his tongue out. Itachi watched them with a slight smirk, surprised to see his brother interact so well with the other kid.

'_So…this is him…' _he thought as he studied the small boy. The Kyuubi no Gaki was even shorter than Sasuke and his bright blonde hair and naïve blue eyes gave you the impression of a sheltered little boy. But the fierce warrior which lurked beneath those eyes…and the way he knew just what to say to Itachi's foolish otouto – the all spoke of experience beyond age. And for a second, Itachi felt he had met a kindred spirit. Then the boy smiled stupidly again, and he shuddered at how the kid could be so open…even as he admired the boy for it.

"Itachi", Ryuuga nodded congenially at his younger cousin. "Ryuuga", the teenager nodded back.

"It's been a long time", Itachi said.

"Eh?"

"It's been a long time since I've seen Sasuke playing", he clarified. Ryuuga shot him a look. Itachi had always been the intimidating younger cousin to whom the comparisons never stopped. When he was younger, Ryuuga had hated the kid who was a decade his junior but had always managed to do everything better. Itachi was everything Ryuuga was not. But Ryuuga was also everything Itachi was not. And as he grew older, Ryuuga had come to appreciate that fact. And looking at Itachi now – prematurely aged face, blank eyes ringed by dark circles – he was even gladder that he wasn't a genius shinobi.

But this sudden open concern for Sasuke…it was very unlike Itachi. And he could tell from his cousin's face, that something was eating at him, gnawing at his soul and depriving him of sleep. He knew that no one else would ask if he didn't. But he still hesitated.

"How are you?" Itachi locked gazes with him for a moment. The teen prodigy needed nothing to understand what the question really was. _How are you coping? Why the f do you look lie hell?_

And while some part of him was naturally indignant that his cousin Ryuuga, clan black sheep and outcast, had asked him that question, it was precisely the fact that Ryuuga believed their clan's teachings as much as he did that made him want to answer truthfully. At that moment, Itachi realized that he completely trusted his cousin, but his pride had stopped him from confiding in him before.

"Ryuuga-sempai…how do you find the Uchiha clan?" Ryuuga glanced at him sharply. Itachi's distaste for clan rules were well-known…but he rarely directly voiced them out. Unlike Ryuuga, he simply wasn't in a position to live his life the way he wanted to – his father was the Clan Head, and Itachi was the heir apparent.

_What to say…what not to say…_

He paused for a moment, lost in thought. Despite his deferential behaviour toward the Council so far, Ryuuga knew that Itachi was far from a docile dog. Son of the Head or not, Itachi was his own man. And Ryuuga could tell that Itachi was a time bomb just waiting to explode. One wrong move…one wrongly cut wire…and the precocious clan prodigy would be lost forever down a road of darkness.

And there was also the question of whether Itachi was here on his own business or the Clan's. But, trust issues and personal prejudices aside, Ryuuga was a Konoha Chuunin. And you didn't become one by not having some level of skill at being a shinobi; his sharp ears and analytic mind caught the subtle phrasing his cousin used. He didn't ask about "our clan", but rather about the "Uchiha" clan.

He sighed. "How did I know you were going to ask me that?"

Itachi just leveled him with a cool gaze. Fine, so the guy wasn't in the mood for some humour.

"I feel many things about the Uchiha Ichizoku, Itachi-kun. The question is why do you want to know?" Itachi didn't reply for a while, his gaze was turned toward the two boys who were seriously practicing their shuriken-throwing, both trying to outdo each other.

"They get along well, don't they?" he said at last, gesturing at the pair. "It's a coincidence really, that they know each other. I never thought that Sasuke would have made his first friend of the Kyuubi kid. But then again…I understand he's an interesting kid…"

"Aa, Naruto-kun is quite a kid. I've never seen a more determined 7 year old…except for your brother perhaps. They really are similiar", Ryuuga replied cautiously.

"Do you think they will let them continue as they are?" came the blunt question. Unspoken was the fact that "they" referred to the clan. Ryuuga frowned. He had heard of the suspected involvement of the Uchiha in the attack on Naruto…but how did Itachi know? He threw the teen a questioning glance.

"I ran into Hatake-sempai at a bar a while ago".

"Nani? That…that guy was at a bar! I thought he was supposed to be protecting Naruto!"

"He was investigating. Sandaime's orders".

"Oh. Well…" Ryuuga rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. Itachi observed his cousin. "You don't like him".

"Ano…well…no, I don't. Do you?" Ryuuga asked, curious about Itachi felt about the eccentric jounin.

"I…respect him".

"Respect?"

"He is – was – a good taichou", Ryuuga heard all there was to in the quiet admiration…and loyalty?… in Itachi's voice. Hmm…interesting…he would never have imagined a guy like that could inspire Itachi to defend people. For self-absorbed Itachi to actually mutter a few words in another's defense…

"You like him".

Itachi rolled his eyes, mentally. Ryuuga might not have possessed the Sharingan, but sometimes he had a way of figuring things out that was simply…uncanny.

"He asked me to help investigate the clan…"

"You agreed?" Ryuuga said, failing to hide his surprise that Itachi was willing to involve himself in activites that were so blatantly against the Council.

"I…wanted to ask for your help".

"Mine?" he said, surprised for the second time in as many seconds.

"Hai. You've been with the Force for 10 years now. Father once told me you were one of his best detectives…before…" Ryuuga felt his eyebrows raise again. Uchiha-sama had actually _admitted _that to his heir? But of course…that was before he had had the misfortune of crossing one of the clan elders…

"You know them in a way I don't", Itachi said. Ryuuga accepted the truthfulness of that – Itachi had always been a loner and he rarely associated with anyone even within the clan. And then there was the fact that the ANBU captain had never gone the traditional route and entered the ranks of the Uchiha Police Force. Then again, his young cousin Itachi never did anything by the books. It was almost as the kid had…an obsession with being unique.

Ryuuga found down a smirk as he nodded his consent. _So the clan prodigy comes to the black sheep for help…how interesting…hmm, I wonder what dear cousin Aizue(1) would think about this…_

The pair sat on the ground in comfortable silence, munching on their bento as the two kids continued their competition. Ryuuga cracked a small smile at how Naruto, with the appearance of Sasuke, forgotten all about his hunger. Itachi cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Ahh…it's nothing. Just that, Naruto and Sasuke seem to be good friends", he remarked, trying to sound casual.

"Aa. It seems my otouto…has finally done something before me…"

"Oh?"

"He has gotten a friend", the older brother remarked.

Ryuuga turned to the side to look at Itachi. He stared into those unfathomable depths, so unlike his warm dark ones. _Was that…a tinge of wistfulness in his voice? _It was unthinkable…that the Uchiha clan heir could feel…lonely?

He shook his head and concentrated on handing Naruto his lunch as the boy came bounding toward them.

"You are good with shuriken", Itachi stated flatly. Naruto paused, having just raised his chopsticks to his mouth. "Eh…I…er…" he stammered.

"Did the Copy-nin train you?"

"Eh! Copy-nin? Who's that?" the boy exclaimed loudly, his head cocked to the side. Ryuuga glanced at Sasuke who only now realized something other than his bento existed around him, thankful that the boy had missed the soft compliment.

"Oi, stupid. Don't you know the COPY-NIN?"

"Huh? So I never heard of the guy…big deal. Will you just TELL me already!"

"The guy…is one of Konoha's elite shinobi! He's like…he's really good!"

"Uh huh…so what's his name?"

"I…uh…don't know", Sasuke admitted. Then he scowled, "But that doesn't mean he isn't a great ninja! And that you're dumb 'cus you don't know about him!"

"Yeah, yeah. He'll never be greater than my nii-san. So there, that's why I don't know – because I don't need to!"

Ryuuga bit his lip, trying to stifle his laughter. Even Itachi's lips were twitching as the two shinobi watched the kids fight over the same man. "Heh…I wonder what Tai-chou would think of this…"

"Gah…that guy…his ego doesn't need anymore inflation…but he does need a head check-up", Ryuuga muttered. Itachi ignored his spiteful comments and leaned towards the boys slowly.

"I know…his name", he said coolly. "Eh?" Naruto turned around and froze. "Aniki?" Sasuke said in surprise. "So…do you want to know?"

"Of course!" Naruto admitted what he had just denied a few mintues ago.

"Ne…nii-san…how do you know that man?"

"He was my ANBU tai-chou", Itachi said at last. Sasuke's eyes widened dramatically. His nii-san never ever said _anything _about his "other" life as an ANBU. Never. Naruto opened his mouth to speak but Sasuke clamped down on his mouth, eliciting another twitch from Itachi's lips.

"What is the Copy-nin's name, nii-san (2)?"

"Naruto-kun knows…I am sure", Itachi said, allowing himself to smirk this time. Ryuuga had to put down his food – he really should have been ashamed that a Chuunin like him couldn't control his spasms of laughter.

Naruto broke free from Sasuke's grasp. "What the? Oi, mister…are you crazy? I just told Sasuke I don't know the stupid Copy guy's name!" he hollered.

"But you do", Itachi said seriously, not even batting an eye at the loud outburst. Sasuke just gaped at Naruto. He had known his blonde friend was loud, and tactless…and that the guy had a healthy disrespect for authority. But nobody – not even his father – talked to Itachi-nii that way!

Naruto was getting really riled now. The boy was normally a sweet kid, if a little too mischievious for Ryuuga sometimes, but Uchiha Ryuuga had only seen the boy stop smiling once, and it hadn't been pretty. So he decided to step in. He took a breath first (got darned giggles! Man chuckled…not giggled. And shinobi…shinobi didn't laugh dammit!) That thought helped him calm down.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, Itachi is right. You do know him. The Copy-nin is a nickname given to your nii-san", Ryuuga said, ignoring the pointed lift of the eyebrow sent his way. Despite the fact that Itachi had been an older brother for a long time, the kid still knew precious little how to treat other kids. And he _had _been cruelly taunting Naruto. But Ryuuga still savoured the priceless look on Naruto's face. _Ah…to go back to the days when I could play pranks on those fusty old elders…_

"Nani!" Naruto shrieked after a second. "You mean…we were fighting…arghh!" he screamed as he turned to Itachi. "Teme!"

Naruto found himself sitting with his bento on a tree branch. Itachi just smirked at the kid from below. "Nii-san!" Sasuke launched himself at his brother only to end up beside Naruto. Ryuuga collapsed against the tree, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

"Oi! Let us down!"

"You, will answer my question. And then you will eat. And then…I may let you down", Itachi remarked coolly.

"What question?"

"Did the Copy-nin train you?"

"No. Stupid Kakashi-nii…he's always too busy to train me!"

"Well, then who taught you to throw?"

"I…learned at the Academy…and Ryuuga-nii gave me some tips just now…"

"So, other than school…you didn't practice?"

"What! Of course I practice!" Itachi held his gaze for a moment before nodding determinedly.

"You may eat now", he said, tossing up Naruto's chopsticks.

"What are you planning?" Ryuuga asked worriedly as the boys scarfed their food down.

"You have other duties in the village now, Ryuuga-san", he said softly.

"Aa, but there's no reason I can't start after Hatake-san returns", Ryuuga replied.

"No, it has to be now. I don't know why…but thinks have been too quiet of late. I'll take over his lessons for now, you can deal with him in the morning and night. I'll take him in the interim. My squad's…will be on leave for a while…"

Ryuuga still hesitated. "Won't the Council object to you…"

"Sandaime-sama still has the power to override them. And he will do so…if _you_ tell him it's for Naruto's sake", Itachi said. "Trust me", those obisidian orbs bore into him once again, flashing red for a minute second.

"Whoever is out there…isn't to be trifled with, Ryuuga. And…there might be more there one", Itachi warned.

"Aa", he said, slumping against the tree bark, acknowledging the fact that he wasn't up to fighting against one Master of the Sharingan…let alone two. The only one who could was probably Itachi, and perhaps the Hatake. But he couldn't; he wasn't strong enough. Ryuuga cursed inwardly as his palms dug into his fingers.

The one time he wanted…the one time he _needed _power…he didn't have enough. He let Naruto's high innocent voice wash over him for a moment.

_I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. I'm…not enough…_

(A/N: Yep! That's it, sorry I took so long, but I had problems with the Naruto and Itachi interaction. And then, school has of course started again…my last year in sec sch…damn :(! Read and review ok!)

Preview:

_Sometime in the future…_

The trees rustled in the wind. The Uchiha swept around, kunai at the tip of his fingers, pinwheels whirled furiously in his red eyes, taking in everything around him.

The shadows moved abruptly and the Sharingan caught them, giving the Konoha shinobi seconds to react. The figure in front of him blurred, moving in a speed too fast for a human eye, even the infamous Sharingan, to catch it.

The hooded figure stepped towards him, kunai in hand. "Ah…Uchiha-sama. We finally meet again", it hissed.


	20. Drifting I

Way of the Shinobi

Chapter 20 – Drifting

Part 1

(A/N: Hello! Very big apology to all my readers for the extremely late update! Com crash resulted in a complete chapter wipeout…so I had to re-do this…I hope you're still reading XD. And thank you for all the reviews: D The following chapter is very Itachi-centric, can't stop writing in his POV! Oh, and some important things happen…if you keep your eyes peeled…enjoy!)

Kakashi leapt pass the trees frantically, feeling his chest burn as he pushed his pace. It had been three days and some hours since he had left the massacre sight and he was just reaching the outer boundaries of the forest surrounding Konoha.

'A bit more…just a bit more to the nearest outpost', he chanted as he navigated the tangle of branches and leaves that barred his path. He nearly stumbled at a particular nasty snarl of brushwood caught at his face and whipped past him.

'Che. A year and I'm already growing weaker'.

Relief coursed through him as he spotted the outpost, the faint fires lit within were a beacon to him in the still lightening early morning sky. They were safe. Which meant Konoha was still standing, and that the mysterious nin was yet to make his move.

He doubled his speed, blurring past the beckoning light, knowing that Konoha was less than half an hour away.

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Uchiha Itachi looked up as he felt a familiar presence near him. "Ohayo, Itachi!" his friend and former superior officer greeted him.

"Shisui", he nodded nonchalantly, not moving from his branch top perch.

"So, what is this I here about you poking around the clan business?"

Itachi allowed himself a small smirk, Shisui was so predictable – he was always one to get straight to the point.

"It's nothing. Just a little…private investigation".

"I heard word…that it's about our…exterior activities. You've never been one to show interest in that sort of thing… or in any of the clan's business before", Shisui stated casually, but Itachi knew a demand for explanation when he heard one.

"Well, if I am going to inherit my father's seat as Council Head, I better have some idea of what's going on. Haven't I?"

"Yes, of course, cousin. However, the matter you've chosen to investigate…"

"And what is that?" Itachi said coolly, silently challenging his mentor. Shisui's eyes narrowed for a moment; he was Shunshin no Shisui, and he would be damned if he let some brat, even if it was Itachi, mock him.

"You know what I'm talking about", he paused to see if Itachi would take the bait and confess. The teen said nothing; he _was_ a boy genius after all. "You were digging around about…the Kyuubi boy…"

"And what's it to you? _That_ had nothing to do with the clan. And I don't see how it concerns you".

"Dammit Itachi! You're an Uchiha! Whatever you do concerns us! Besides, I thought I was your friend", Shisui tried the emotional approach.

"You know my stand about the Council, Shisui. I don't like them. I don't associate with them", he replied coldly.

"You were trying to find out if _we _attacked him", there he had said it; let him see if the prodigy could lie his way out of this one.

"Correction, I was trying to find out if someone with a Sharingan had attacked him".

"Oh really? Then why aren't you investigating the most obvious prospect?"

"Hnn…and who would that be?" Shisui jumped onto the tree branch and stepped closer to Itachi, invading his space. All of his reflexes screamed at him to step back, but he didn't.

"Hmph. Which mentally unstable jounin has one Sharingan eye? Who's the only living pupil of our dearly departed Yondaime?"

"Hatake-san has the Hokage's trust".

"And yours I am sure…it seems to me little cousin, that you're rather…attached to your former captain? Perhaps more attached to him…than our clan. I fear…for your loyalty".

"My loyalty…has always been to Konoha".

"How…interesting. Especially when Konoha isn't exactly enamored of you…I wonder dear cousin…why exactly you're investigating this again…"

"I have my own reasons", he glared at Shisui again, wanting the conversation to end.

"Oh? Perhaps…you're the one who did, eh Itachi-kun? What's wrong you look surprised…is it because…I guessed right? After all, Hatake-san's not the only one with a…control problem", he smirked.

"Shut up", Itachi ground out, suppressing the spasm that had threatened to overcome him at those words. He glowered at Shisui, letting the other shinobi feel his a measure of his killer intent.

Shisui's eyes widened. _K'so. Who would have thought? This gaki…_He'd heard the rumors of course, but had just passed them off as idle gossip. But every rumor held a grain of truth; and Shisui had just become painfully aware of the fact that Uchiha Itachi, despite his youth and slender build, was ANBU. And not just any ANBU, he was one of the elite unit's squad captains; the shinobi who'd been chosen to replace Copy nin Kakashi.

_How far you've drifted away from your former self, cousin…it hurts, to see you like this. I tried, Itachi-kun. I really did. But your father…Gomen…_

Shisui shook himself and firmed his resolve – now wasn't the time for weakening. He looked up at Itachi coolly and smirked. "Well, I'll see you around then Itachi-kun. Ja ne!" He walked away with those words, as if the tense events of moments past had not occurred.

Itachi watched the man leave with narrowed eyes. He waited until he couldn't feel Shisui's chakra sense, before he took off, racing towards a secluded spot on the outskirts of the Konoha Forest.

He scanned his surroundings for anyone who might have followed him, before he allowed his control to break.

He didn't know how long he lay there, trembling against the tree bark, until the taste of bile in his mouth and the uncontrollable urge to retch made him lose that morning's breakfast on an unfortunate shrub.

_Too close…too close to the goddamned truth. I hate him…him and his sneers and smirks…and the way he always seems to know me…the way his gaze is when he thinks I'm not looking…_

Pity. Shisui pitied him. And he hated that. Because he knew why Shisui pitied him. He thought Itachi was losing control, going insane. He wouldn't be the first or the last of Konoha's child "geniuses" to break. He thought Itachi had no place out, and it was only a matter of time before he went on a mad rampage and did something truly awful. He thought it was a foregone conclusion that Itachi would die, by a comrade's hand. He thought it was the Clan's fault for forcing a child to do something no grown-up should have to.

And the worst thing was…Shisui was completely right, with the exception of one tiny fact. Shisui might have known him since they were children; he might have been his mentor; but Itachi was not an innocent boy or an ambitious teenager any longer. He was something more.

He smiled softly. Itachi…Weasel. His mother had named him aptly. Weasels did whatever they could to survive…and Itachi wasn't going to do anything that would end his life. Not at all.

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Kakashi paused abruptly as he felt a sharp flare of chakra a few kilometers out from his current position. The chakra sense was familiar; but there should be no one out here – Konoha shinobi traditionally stood watch only at their outposts and the various gates into the village. It was rare for anyone to be out here at all – unless they were returning from a mission like him. But the other shinobi had been stationary for far too long for him to be traveling.

He debated silently for a moment as to whether to go on or to check on the shinobi. The faint sounds of retching decided for him and he swiftly closed the distance between him and the other.

The ninja was lying on the ground, completely unguarded. But that wasn't what made Kakashi's eyes widen. The man on the ground was Uchiha Itachi. He blinked once and again, watching the boy's emotions change from nausea to frustration to ice cold rage and burning resolve, before he left. There was nothing he could do for Itachi now; his duty lay with the village.

He reached the village in mere moments. The guard simply waved him on at the gates and he rushed to the Hokage Tower, praying that the old man was free.

"Anbu operative 824, codename: Wolf, reporting. Request to see Hokage-sama immediately", he rattled off to the Chuunin seated at the mission-reporting table. She nodded and gestured to the door. "You're expected, Anbu-san", she replied. He bowed and entered the Hokage's office, removing his porcelain ANBU mask as he did so, before he bowed again.

"Kakashi, you have news?"

"Hai", he replied before reciting the mission details from memory. The Hokage frowned for a moment, deep in thought. "A mysterious assailant? From our border? I just reinforced the guard there with two ANBU squads…it is inconceivable…" the Hokage trailed off, realizing that the ninja in question had effortlessly wiped out 2 squads of those very ANBU.

"How would you judge his strength level, Kakashi?" Sandaime queried. Kakashi knew that the Hokage's real question was: Can you handle this? He thought it out cautiously, unwilling to rush into things when he had a 6-year old blonde boy to get home to.

"He is at least as strong as I am", Kakashi answered. _I can do this, but only if I absolutely **have** to._

"Perhaps you are underestimating your own abilities?"

"Iie, it is only my own opinion, nothing at all to do with what I can or cannot do", he murmured. _I know what I can do. I know some of what he can do. But some of those…abilities…are completely unknown to me…_

The Hokage eyed him a moment before nodding in dismissal. Kakashi flitted out the window, leaving the Hokage with his fingers steepled, head bowed in deep thought.

Guilt nagged at Kakashi's conscience as he rushed home, racing over the rooftops of Konoha. But the image of the blonde-haired boy awaiting him swept away any of his remaining reservations.

_Home. _He was home. And for once, there was someone waiting. He glanced down at the colourful plethora of lights that contrasted sharply with the rapidly darkening sky. Evening had fallen and Naruto would surely be home by now. The thought of the boy, which had sustained him thus far, now served to quicken his pace.

He reached his apartment and clambered up the stairs with a hurried wave to the landlady. He opened his door cautiously. Naruto loved to play pranks and Kakashi had been caught by the boy's traps more than once, simply because he had not needed to be cautious here.

A sigh of relief sounded in the empty hallway. Apparently, not even Naruto was so cruel as to prank his nii-san the moment he got home. Kakashi stepped into the house and shoved both his wolf mask and his blue cloth mask into a drawer before nipped into the bathroom before one could blink.

He shed his ANBU gear and held his breath as the stench overwhelmed him. Normally, field shinobi bathed regularly since the landscape was dotted with streams. But Kakashi had spent most of the past few days on foot, with no time to pause for rest, let alone a bath. As much as he wanted to see Naruto, he needed a bath more.

A moan escaped his lips as he lowered himself into bamboo bathtub. The hot water provided a welcome contrast to the chilly evening air and soothed his tense muscles. He sighed contentedly…

And woke up with the water growing cold and stars twinkling outside his window. He got out of the tub, dressed and stood in his living room frowning. Something was missing…something such as a certain blonde-haired ball of energy. He moved from room to room, the crease on his forehead deepening as he reached the living room without finding a single trace of anyone else.

Dizziness threatened to overcome him for a moment as a horrific thought was borne in his mind. Perhaps…it had all been a hallucination? A creation of his deranged mind? Had he truly imagined Naruto? And everything that had happened…he leaned heavily upon the doorway to the bathroom, clinging to it as a lost child to the arms of his savior.

Then reality hit him as he spied something orange out the corner of his eye. It was a small t-shirt; too small to fit even his lean frame. It was Naruto's. And the boy was probably at Ryuuga's house.

Kakashi clambered out the window onto the parapet edge of his building and leapt onto the neighboring shop's roof. He bounded away toward the Uchiha compound.

He reached the edge of the outskirts in moments and paused. Anouter gate and another Inner Gate that led to the homes of the traditionally higher-ranking Council members had always surrounded the Uchiha Compound. He shivered, remembering the first, and only, time he had gone through those forbidding inner iron gates.

The outer gate though was never locked; it served a more ceremonial function than a security one. Which was why it came as a surprise to see the rusty iron gates were pulled shut…

Kakashi hung back for a moment, melting effortlessly into the shadows. The hastily-constructed temporary outpost had a dim light within it that revealed the silhouette of a single figure. A slight extension of his senses confirmed his suspicion that the guard was a Chuunin. He closed his eyes and let his Chakra sense guide him before spotting another, fainter, more-well-concealed signature.

Ahh…that must be the Jounin that, awaiting any suspicious movements on his part. Given the other's level of skill and the haphazard way he had approached, he was sure his presence was known by now. _Well, there's nothing to it except to walk right up then…_

He calmly strode to the outpost and pretended not to notice the Chuunin's flustered appearance as he answered the other shinobi's questions. The chuunin moved to open the gate, just as Kakashi's senses flickered. Slight shock and resignation ran through him as he realized _who_ was standing behind him. He turned around and greeted her, inclining his head slightly. "Uchiha-sama".

Uchiha Chizue was a middle-aged, tall, regal-looking woman with deep blue eyes and dark tresses that were severely held back in a bun by a pair of intricately carved chopsticks. She was also his former ANBU captain. And he had been of the opinion that she hated him. Thank god he had quickly graduated to solo missions and been allowed to stick with them for a long while…

"Hatake. What is your business here, at this time?"

"As I informed him, I'm here on the Hokage's business", he replied calmly. Technically, _technically_, he **was **on the Hokage's business.

"And I am enquiring just what that is? Or rather, who do you need to see?"

He raised an eyebrow at her commanding tone but acquiesced nonetheless. _Think, think…who would she not dare question…_

"I am here to see Itachi-san", he said softly. Her eyes widened and she nodded abruptly.

"Very well, in that case, I shall send Joruna with you. He will make sure you do not take _too_ long", she said, motioning to the Chuunin.

"I am on official business", he stressed, looking at her still. Her blue eyes met his lazy, half-open black orb. She pursed her lips and nodded. "Take all the time you want then. But he will still act as your guide. We don't want you getting **lost** do we?"

He nodded once, slowly. _Itachi, it's up to you to save your old taichou…_

(A/N: Read and review! And thanks goes out –again– to all those who _did_ review! The next part of this chapter will be out soon, hopefully…and yes, I am cruel to leave you hanging…if it's not out…than you know I'm too caught up with listening to se7en's Passion to update: D LoL.)


	21. Drifting II

(A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. To tell the truth, I was thinking of abandoning this fic. I've cooled off my Naruto obsession; K-pop and Dong Bang Shin Ki have taken over my life. But but…today I watched a Japanese movie called Shinobi – heart under blade. It made me remember how passionate I used to be about shinobi and their lives, and the reason I started writing this fic. So…I sat down and the words came out even after so many months. Sorry for the long wait! Please read and review because reviews are my motivation. )

Chapter 21 – Drifting II

Itachi gazed out the window, feeling worry gnaw at him. He couldn't explain exactly _why_ he was worried. He just was. It was instinctive. Everything was just moving so fast in the past few months and now there was almost no time to put his –

The knock disrupted his thoughts. He frowned as he located two chakra signatures. Who was it at this hour? And _here_ of all places. Officially, Itachi lived in the Uchiha family dojo, with his parents, which was his rightful place since in the eyes of the clan law, he was still a minor.

But he had always been a loner by nature. And he had argued with his father that it wouldn't do for him to come home, dripping blood over the tatami mat and scaring Sasuke if he happened to chance upon him. So he had his own apartment, to be used only before and after his missions. Of course, his father was rather pleased that his eldest son was undertaking such a great number of ANBU missions. In fact, he was so busy he had almost always had missions going on.

To cut to the chase, Itachi had his _own_ apartment, which very few, other than his parents and the council elders, knew about. He glanced at the clock on his wall, attempting to remember if he had some meeting scheduled at this time. It was 9pm. 9pm 9pm. He racked his brain.

"Itachi-nii!" An impatient voice sounded outside. A smile tugged at his lips. There was only one blonde chibi that voice could have belonged to. Naruto. Of course. How could he have forgotten? He had promised Ryuuga he'd take the boy for the next few days. He had already been training the kid (along with Sasuke) in the afternoons to free up Ryuuga to do some digging around. And now he'd promised to take Naruto for the next day or so, because Ryuuga had a night shift he couldn't substitute, and besides, Kakashi was already 2 days overdue.

He made his way to the door slowly, smirking as the boy's exclamations grew louder and louder. He opened the door with a bang, clapping a hand around Naruto's mouth and dragging him in, while somehow managing to wave Ryuuga off at the same time.

He let down the struggling boy, noting the angry blue eyes and the flushed red cheeks with a certain, almost childish, glee. Feh, the kid should try and stop being so fun to tease. Both for Itachi's sake and his.

"Itachi-nii!" the boy whined instead, huge blue eyes looking up at him. What? No outburst this time? That was…surprising. Itachi could normally tell a person's entire character just hours after meeting them. But days after meeting Naruto he could only be sure about one thing about Naruto's personality – it was unfailingly unpredictable.

It was all too easy to write the boy off as a loudmouthed brat at first glance. But Itachi was the master of masks (though Kakashi would argue with him over that), and he could spot one, and in most cases see beneath it when he bent his will to it. In Naruto's case, he could definitely tell the boy had a mask. But he couldn't see through it. In many ways, Naruto reminded him of the Copy-nin and even himself. The boy definitely intrigued him. He convinced himself that that was why he was taking such a personal (and unhealthy) interest in the boy.

"Haven't I told you not to make so much noise?"

"But…but", Naruto pouted. The glamour ninjutsu Ryuuga had cast over him had melted away at first touch, replacing Sasuke's likeness with Naruto's true form. It wouldn't do at all for the Uchiha clan heir to be seen welcoming the Kyuubi no Gaki into his home.

"My neighbors…don't take kindly to small children", he growled. Naruto just stuck his tongue out at him and flopped on the floor, tiny overnight bag and all.

Itachi looked at him. Naruto looked back. Itachi gritted his teeth. Why couldn't the damn boy be as easily cowed as Sasuke was. He continued glaring at the kid. Naruto ignored him and began opening his bag. Itachi watched him curiously. What _was_ Naruto doing?

Naruto took out a pen. And a pencil. And then an eraser. And finally a ruler. Then out came the Shinobi Academy Year TWO booklet, brightly emblazoned in green with the Leaf's symbol. He was going to do his homework. Itachi grimaced at the sight of the textbook. He had always hated that particular shade of green. He watched on as the boy started writing in it.

His eyebrow twitched. Uchiha Itachi was NOT used to being treated as though he was invisible. His eyes narrowed. "Naruto", he called, injecting enough coldness in his voice to make Naruto turn around.

"Nani? I have homework to do Itachi-nii. I'll play with you later ok?"

Itachi lost it. "You little brat!" he snarled, grabbing the kid's textbook. "I do not _play_ with people. I was _teaching _you the other day. _Teaching_", he said.

"And besides, you're supposed to go to sleep now, not –" he stopped as his chakra sense tingled again. _More visitors. _He sighed. "Naruto, go down the hall and stay in the last room, and don't make a sound".

"What, but?"

"I have _visitors_", he stressed the word. Naruto gulped and nodded. He didn't like the Uchihas and their creepy eyes. Sasuke, and by extension, Itachi, were exceptions of course.

Itachi strode to the door and opened it. He blinked once or twice to hide the shock coursing through him. Kakashi was there. With one of the Council's Chuunin henchmen.

"Ah, Uchiha-sama, this shinobi said he's here to see you", there was an implicit question in his tone.

"Of course. You are late, Hatake-san", he said, being careful to mask his surprise at Kakashi's presence.

"Aa. Sou des".

Itachi frowned when the Chuunin didn't leave. "Hatake-san and I have important things to discuss".

"Ah. Erm. Concerning that, Uchiha Chizue-sama requested that I follow Hatake-san. This is, of course, in accordance with the Council's latest security rules", the Chuunin replied, politically correct as always.

Itachi felt his lip curl. His father had passed him a scroll the other day, but he had not bothered to look through it. "Hatake-san is here on the Hokage's business".

"Hai. And that is the reason why we allowed him into the compound after 9", the chuunin replied. Itachi's mind whirled. He locked eyes with Kakashi for a moment. So, that was why Kakashi was here – he had probably come here looking for Ryuuga.

"I am sure, Chuunin-san, that I can safeguard the clan's _security_ better than you", Itachi replied coldly. The other shinobi looked from Itachi to Kakashi, taking in the steely glances in their eyes, and noting the powerful chakra aura they effortlessly projected. Kakashi's lazy shift of his hands seemed to decide the Chuunin.

"Forgive me, Uchiha-sama. I will take my leave," the man disappeared. Kakashi nonchalantly followed Itachi inside the house. He tensed as he realized there was a faint sound coming from within the chakra-masked walls. _Nani?_

Then he abruptly relaxed as the voice got clearer…and became familiar to him. _Naruto._ He smiled, before his eyes narrowed and he turned to Itachi.

"Why is he here?"

"Ah…Ryuuga-san has a night-shift today," came the reply.

"Still, Naruto doesn't do well with strangers," Kakashi muttered. Itachi's lips just twitched faintly. He entered the small room at the back of the hall. And was immediately pounced. He staggered for a moment, tussling with the tiny thing that was attempting to gnaw his head before coming up victorious.

"Itachi-nii!" Naruto whined as the Uchiha held him up in the air by a single ankle.

"Let me go!"

"Apologize, brat!"

"No!"

"Yes."

"No!" the answer displeased Itachi, so he shook Naruto once more.

"Ahhh! Ok! Ok! Stop! Please!"

"What did I ask you to say?" Itachi asked as he continued shaking the brat.

"…"

"Well?"

"Argggh! You're a big bully and I'm sorry! Ok, there? Let me down!" Itachi shook his head and put the kid on the floor.

Kakashi just stood there, watching the scene unfold in front of him, wondering when Naruto would notice there was someone else in the room.

He coughed lightly as he noticed the tell-tale sign of Naruto beginning another one of his tirades. The blonde froze. _Saa…at least his instincts have improved. Slightly. Huh, but I still could have slit his throat where he stood before he even noticed me._

He voiced the thought out aloud. Naruto looked up with wide eyes. He stared at Kakashi.

"What, no welcome hug for me?" Kakashi attempted to lighten the mood as Naruto's blank stare and Itachi's narrowed eyes made him resist the urge to shift from foot to foot. That was just something anbu captains, even former ones, did not do.

Naruto bit his lips, standing there. "You're late," the boy said at last, head bent to the floor.

"I…" Kakashi hesitated. If they had been at home he would not have hesitated to take the boy into his arms and explain that his mission had been hard and he had rushed home. But Itachi was here now…

Kakashi still didn't know which side Itachi was on. Playful moments with Naruto aside, Itachi was shinobi to the core. The best of shinobi knew how to employ subterfuge to such a skillful degree that it was impossible to suspect them. Itachi was certainly the best.

But Kakashi was better. So he never let his guard down. Even when he saw Naruto, _his Naruto_, shifting from foot to foot with tears burning in his eyes. It was for the boy's own good. If the Uchiha Clan, or anyone else, found out about the extent of his emotional attachment to the boy…Naruto would be placed in an even more dangerous position. He couldn't let that happen.

So Kakashi stood his ground. He remained still even when drops of water began to draw a haphazard pattern on Itachi's flooring. He felt the absurd need to take a cloth and dry those droplets from the floor – as though he thought erasing them could expunge the damage he had just committed and let him rewind the last 5 minutes.

_If I could do that, I would just wish sensei back into existence. Or would I…_

If sensei were alive…Naruto would be fine. _But I wouldn't know him. We wouldn't be as close as we are. As we…were. _He admitted to himself sadly.

"Let's go back," he took hold of the kid's arm. Naruto didn't reply. "I will not interrupt you any longer, Itachi-kun. Thank you," he said, inclining his head toward Itachi.

A steely arm on his shoulder stopped him from leaving. He looked up, eyes widening in surprise as they met twin pairs of spinning Sharingan eyes. _So…I was wrong after all. Itachi was…all along…_

"The boy's staying."

He felt the sour taste of betrayal fill his being. Despite all the caution, some part of him had still trusted Itachi. Some part of him had desperately **wanted** to trust the other. _My foolery is repaid in kind then. _

He tensed, readying himself for attack. But Itachi didn't move forward. He just stood there, glaring intensely.

"You told me you knew what it's like to have a younger brother," the words, when they came, where heated and disjointed, burning with a passion that Uchiha Itachi rarely allowed to run wild.

Kakashi stood there, head bowed, unable to reply.

"I'm telling you, you don't," Itachi spoke resolutely; the scorn in his voice and the implication felt like a punch to his gut.

And still Kakashi stood there. _It's a game. I can't break. _He repeated the phrases over and over.

"Hokage-sama placed Naruto-san in my care. Are you going against his orders?"

Silence reigned. It was the Uchiha's turn to stand close-mouthed; the rage he had put into those words having been leashed the moment they left his mouth.

"I…" the soft, trembling voice of a six-year old orphan filled the suddenly large room, slicing the tension between the two shinobi as easily as a knife sinking into butter.

"I want to stay," he said, his head fixed on the floor, as the sniffling increased. Itachi squatted down.

"Eh. You have homework to do, right? Come on, you can go finish it, and I'll get out a spare futon," he gently took the boy's hand, leading him to the backroom.

Kakashi's hand let go of the child's arm of its own volition as Naruto followed Itachi. Neither of them looked back.

He sighed and sat down. _One-step forward five steps back._ It had been like this from the start. Every time Naruto trusted him, he had to do something to set back their relationship. For once, Kakashi wished they could live without restraints. Without constant threat, without the shackles that seemed to hold him back at every single turn.

He sat and stared at the wall blankly. He couldn't leave Naruto. Despite everything, guarding the boy wasn't just a personal choice. It was a mission.

The rush back to the village had tired him considerably. And fatigue soon set his thoughts wandering upon abstract paths. It was hours later when he chanced upon a startling realization - Naruto had not reacted to Itachi's activated Sharingan.

Not even the slightest bit.


	22. Strawman

(A/N: Someone reminded me of this fic a few days ago so I remembered I had written this chapter at the start of the year xD. I'm not really satisfied with it…but I'm posting anyway thanks to everyone who's kept reviewing although I've pretty much abandoned this fic .)

Chapter 22 – Strawman

Soft footsteps across the floor left no sound, but the minute vibrations they sent out were enough to awake Kakashi. Shinobi were always ready.

Itachi sat down across from him, running a hand over his gray locks of hair, reminding Kakashi more of a man who was reaching the end of his life rather than a boy who was just growing into adolescence.

The gesture gave him a pang of guilt. Somehow, this too was his fault.

"I –" they both started at the same time, lapsing into silence as both of them retreated back into their contemplative shells. They were so alike; so different.

"I thought you…cared for him," Itachi offered finally. Kakashi stared at the floor. It was all a battle; a game; a war. No one said anything, or did anything without an ulterior motive. That was a shinobi's way.

But Uchiha Itachi the shinobi, wouldn't be sitting here before him, asking of him questions about a 6-year old child that neither of them, really, had any sort of relation to. Uchiha Itachi the shinobi wouldn't be looking at him with those tired eyes, so empty of emotion and yet so expressive.

"I know what it's like – to realize…to realize no one cares. I don't…he shouldn't…not when you said you…" Itachi flirted with the issue, not daring to outwardly imply when he was saying. To know, to feel, was one thing. But to say it out loud, was another completely.

In a shinobi's world, many things were strange. But strangest of all perhaps, was that a four-letter word treasured by all humans, was the dirtiest of all to shinobi.

Love. It was forbidden. It was their sin. Their fruit in the Garden of Eden where they were allowed to look, but not touch, or even worse, partake of the fruit. That was how shinobi lived their lives everyday, interacting with the villagers, watching them going about their routines. Watching them love. Watching them live. But never being able to do the same.

Kakashi had been content with that for so long. But now, after meeting Naruto, he could no longer bare to live without living anymore.

_Life…it isn't just a game, or a chore. _

"He makes you forget, doesn't he?" Kakashi spoke at last. Itachi tilted his head in query.

"The mask. I left mine in the drawer once by accident because he was late for school. Took me two steps out the door to realize it was gone. He has this way, of worming past everything."

Itachi looked at Kakashi again when the man paused, wanting the other to extrapolate on the matter.

"Have you ever seen a lake in spring?" Itachi nodded slowly at the question.

"The water catches the light and throws it right back up, making us see the same light that the sun provides everyday in a totally different way. Naruto…he is the same."

"Then why…"

"I forgot for awhile. But when he wasn't around, I remembered."

Somehow, Itachi understood the meaning behind those words. He knew all too well how easy it was to slip back into the routine of being the village's puppet. A tool, that was what they had been trained to be in the ANBU. And even when they weren't on mission, there were times when it was all too easy to go through the life mechanically, treating everything and anything as a mission. It was why no one stayed in the ANBU for long. It was why Itachi needed this apartment – he didn't and couldn't trust himself around his younger brother.

"You scared him," there was no accusation in those words, but they still sliced through Kakashi's soul deeply.

The weary ninja merely nodded in unspoken acknowledgement. It was his mistake. Always his mistake.

"I have a spare futon in the back", Itachi offered as he stood up. It was clear to him that Kakashi was tired, and definitely in no mood to be discussing anything.

"He didn't react", Kakashi whispered finally. Itachi whirled around, his mind working furiously to piece together the cryptic words.

"To your activated Sharingan. He didn't respond at all", confusion shot through Itachi at Kakashi's words. Their main reason for investigating the Uchiha Clan was because Naruto had reacted so strongly to Kakashi's Sharingan.

Still, if it hadn't been the Uchiha who attacked Naruto, why had Shisui been sent to warn him off investigating the connection?

Suddenly, there was a whole lot more going on then either of them had envisioned.

* * *

Shisui nodded at the older shinobi absently, his mind wandering as the Clan Elders rehashed the plan. Shisui knew all of this; he probably knew the plan better than the old fart standing in front of him. The anger welling up within him was easily suppressed. He would listen. He would always listen because custom, duty and loyalty to his Clan dictated so. 

He nodded again.

"The Kyuubi no Gaki is a threat to the village. Hokage-sama is clearly under the demon's influence somehow. It is up to the Uchiha to protect the village", one greying Elder intoned.

"As has always been our duty. The Hokage governs, but it is we who protect. It is the Uchiha's role to serve justice", another agreed.

Shisui resisted the urge to snort. Too many years in the Council and out of the battlefield had definitely put the Elders out of touch with reality, sinking them further into the self-delusion that most Uchiha were mired in.

A freak genetic accident caused by their ancestor's incessant tinkering with the basic units of life because of the overwhelming Uchiha urge to get stronger.

That was all they were. He had heard the whispers as a child.

_Abomination._ _Freak._

As if they were any better.

"First, Hatake Kakashi has to be incapacitated. Then, we get the boy. Hatake is too loyal a guard dog –" Snickers abounded at the pun. Hatakes had always been dogs in their eyes.

But of course, no one questioned why a Hatake had been the only shinobi to be on par with the Sannin. No Uchiha ever brought up the Sannin.

" – to leave unattended", Fugaku-sama continued smoothly. The Clan Head, at least, tried to appear to be above petty behaviour.

"And then there is the matter of Ryuuga and Itachi", Shisui murmured, feeling the heat of Fugaku's glare on him. He knew the Clan Head was determined on keeping his successor and his nephew out of this, but now there was irrevocable proof that Itachi at least was involved in the matter.

"Ryuuga and Itachi have not been seen with the child for a fortnight", Fugaku thundered.

"No, but Hatake entered the compound last night to visit Itachi. He left that morning with a significantly smaller companion. Itachi is guilty of harboring the child within our very compound", Chizue silenced the Clan Head.

"If I may be so bold Elders, perhaps Chizue-sama would be more suited to dealing with the Hatake, whilst I _handle_ Itachi," Shisui inserted, well aware that he was overstepping his boundaries. His purpose here was merely to be a tool, to be equipped to carry out the Council's will, not to proffer suggestions. But Itachi was a threat, and he wasn't going to allow Fugaku to conceal it any longer. The boy had finally teetered over the fine line between teenage rebellion and blatant mutiny. Any longer, and he would be a physical threat to the clan. In fact, he might already be too strong for any of them, even himself, to control.

"Itachi is this Clan's future successor!" Fugaku spat furiously. A buzz rose up amongst the Elders.

"Itachi, as I see it Fugaku-sama, is no longer obedient to the Clan", Chizue replied coolly. Fugaku's face tightened before relaxing again, accepting the truth of his progeny's failings.

Shisui smirked inwardly. _Your father can't protect you any longer, brat._

"There is still no concrete proof", Fugaku tried to reason with the Elders, attempting to catch one of their eyes. Here and now, in this single moment, he was not a Clan Head, he was man with a son.

"Then prove he is still loyal in the next 15 days", another Elder demanded. The rest nodded in acquiescence.

Shisui studied the Clan Head covertly – Fugaku had just turned 40 this year, and yet he looked old, too old. _That tends when you have a guilty conscience from letting your clan pervert your eldest child and cast out your dead brother's only son._

Pity was something Shisui didn't have for the older man. Not at all.

"Shisui, on the 15th day. You know what to do. Spare him no mercy", Chizue-sama commanded after the Elders had dispersed. Shisui inclined his head. As precocious as Itachi had been and still was, he had never managed to overtake his mentor.

_Saa, I still have that jutsu after all…_

"Mercy is something I never have. For anyone, Chizue-sama", he drawled at the implied slight.

"No, in that aspect you and Itachi are all too similar. But there was always talk of how close you were to the boy…"

"Duty comes first Chizue-same. Duty above everything else", he told her what she wanted to hear.

"Of course. 15 days from now then. The Council will take care of the…aftermath so don't take any liberties. We will need you for other things", she said delicately.

He nodded and left quickly.

_Fools. Giving Fugaku time to probe Itachi will only alert him to the fact that the Clan is turning against him. If I act, I must act sooner than the given time limit. After all, the Clan will have far more to plan for than the elimination of the Kyuubi in fifteen days. _

The cliff adorned with the Hokage statues swept past as he flitted across the rooftops.

_Old man…your time is up._

Shunshin no Shisui listened, but he didn't always obey.

* * *

Uchiha Fugaku beckoned his son closer. Sasuke only looked at him rebelliously. His mother had forbid him from going to a training session with Naruto and the Ishida brothers because his father wanted to _talk _to him. 

As far as Sasuke was concerned, his father never talked to him. To his father, he was surely nothing more than a disappointment – the untalented second son whose presence was unneeded due to his genius older brother. In the Clan Head's eyes, he needed only one successor and that was not Sasuke.

"Come Sasuke, if you do not follow closely I will never get to teach you this jutsu, he coaxed the boy.

_Jutsu! He's going to teach me jutsu!_

For a few moments sheer joy raced through him as he followed his father to the lake on the outskirts of the Uchiha training ground. Thus far, in his seven years of life, never once had his father taken interest in him or his training. And now, a jutsu? Especially Katon: Goukakkyuu no Jutsu that was one of the clan trademarks. It was mind-boggling. After all, why should father teach him when he was so busy and there was already Itachi …

He stopped practicing the hand movements abruptly. _Itachi-nii. _Had something happened to Itachi? He hadn't seen his aniki in a long time.

"Sasuke? You're almost there…" His father was trying to be encouraging.

_Wrong. Wrong. _

"Itachi-nii…Is he okay?" Emotion flashed across Uchiha Fugaku's face for an instant long enough for even Sasuke's not-quite-trained eyes to grasp. His younger son's depth of perception had caught Fugaku offguard.

_When did he grow up? _

To Fugaku, Sasuke had always been the baby; the innocent, naïve child Mikoto doted upon and he had to protect. And yet, the boy was still able to accurately pinpoint the exact reason his father was taking a sudden interest in him.

Itachi would not inherit the Uchiha Clan Council Head's seat. Sasuke was the only option now.

Fugaku composed himself. The boy's perception was not something to be shaken by. In fact, they boded well for his future.

"Learn the jutsu if you can. I will only show it to you just one more time", he said curtly.

_"Katon: Goukakkyu no Jutsu!"_

He turned and walked away after that, choosing to watch the boy from afar instead. Being near him would distract the boy and lead him to lean on him for approval and support. Such weak sentiments were not to be encouraged. Training Sasuke would be no different from training Itachi – they were both fast learners, much like he had been.

When Sasuke came to him a few hours later smelling of soot and with determination burning his usually placid black eyes, Fugaku hid a thin smile behind a veneer of gruff approval. Sasuke was even faster than Itachi; Fugaku wondered if the boy would fall faster than his brother had, for he would surely rise higher.


	23. Webs and Spirals

A/N: Yo! It's been a couple of years since I updated and even longer since I wrote most of this chapter. Stumbled across it while I was cleaning so I decided to dust it off and update ... if I'd waited, it might have taken me another two years :x.

Chapter 23 - Webs and Spirals

_"What about Ryuuga?"_

_ A sneer flitted across Chizue's face. "We'll deal with him"._

* * *

Naruto scrambled about in the sand, wrestling the bigger of twins into the ground. Sasuke tackled the smaller one, grinning as his fast kicks and punches kept up with the older student. _There! An opening!_ He moved swiftly, trusting Naruto to follow his lead and cover his back.

His foot lashed out and connected with a shoulder but the yelp coming from behind sent his back prickling. _Trap!_ The twins grabbed both kids and twisted their arms behind their backs. "You never stood a chance," taunted one of them. Sasuke snorted indignantly.

"It's not my fault I have an idiot for a partner," he muttered, feeling guilty as words tumbled out.

"Argh! I'm not an idiot! You! Argh, let me go!"

"Yeah but you're the one who tripped _partner_," Sasuke retorted.

"I'm not the one who took the opening! Who's the idiot?" Naruto flung back, his grin triumphant. Sasuke frowned – he had been the one baited into taking the opening. His shoulders slumped.

The twins just laughed as they released the pair. "Well, We have to get home. See you guys tomorrow?" the hopeful note in the younger Ishida's voice brought a slight grin to Sasuke's face. He liked this playful sparring, this not-quite friendship that had sprung up between the four of them. It was fun. He frowned. It wasn't the Uchiha Way to have fun. But – he had fun with aniki in the past, didn't he? But last night Father …

"Nope. We have stuff to do tomorrow. Ryuuga-san promised us a training session, didn't he?" Naruto turned to Sasuke, catching the tail end of a frown disappearing behind the cold mask Sasuke liked to retreat behind. "Sasuke?"

"Hmm. Oh, yeah," he nodded his head. "Sorry guys!" he waved them off as they sped away.

Naruto studied his friend for a moment. He looked tired and worn. And grim. Almost not like the Sasuke he knew at all.

The scrutiny made the black-haired boy fidget. "What are you looking at?" the sharp tone made Naruto glance away hurriedly.

"I – " Naruto didn't know what to say. He cocked his head and grinned as a plan formed in his head. It wouldn't cure Sasuke's problems – that needed words which Naruto couldn't find – but it would make the gloomy mood disappear.

"Why don't we surprise Ryuuga?" Naruto asked mischievously. He was living with the Chuunin for now with Kakashi having vanished off again. For the moment, that suited Naruto. He wasn't ready to deal with his guardian's harsh words and the fear they had inspired. He wasn't ready to reconcile those words with the memory of gentle hands ruffling through his hair and the quietly whispered goodbye.

Sasuke knew that tone. It meant Naruto was plotting again and that usually resulted in mayhem. And screaming adults. Neither of which Sasuke welcomed at the moment. Father had been training him for the past few nights, and the punishing pace was draining him.

That far-off look in Naruto's eyes though, they told him something was not quite right. And whatever it took to upset his irrepressible friend must have been ground shattering. Sasuke sighed as he nodded reluctantly; a romp would get both their spirits back up.

If he had been thinking clearly, he would have disagreed with the plan. Naruto wanted to leave the school and make for Ryuuga's apartment, which lay a little outside the Uchiha compound, a long way from Konoha's center. Uchiha Sasuke had little to fear in Konoha but Uzumaki Naruto - Sasuke had long known that there were many who did not like his friend. Itachi himself had warned Sasuke to keep his friendship with Naruto from their parents.

But Sasuke was still seven and very tired. And he would spend most of the next week blaming himself for it.

__

The Jounin slipped through the apartment complex's wards with ease, his teeth bared in the simulacrum of a grin. The plan was simple – dismantle the unit's defenses, link the wards to the jutsu he had prepared and sit back to wait. Once his _prey_ was incapacitated, he would just have to come back and collect it for Chizue-sama.

Uchiha Ryuuga's days were numbered. He licked his scarred lips at the memory of being bound, of having that bastard clap handcuffs around his wrists. Ryuuga owed him.

501. He climbed up the sides of the complex easily. At this time of the day, there were no shinobi around. Besides, this was too isolated and run-down a complex to be housing more than the average Chuunin or Genin who would prove no match for the genjutsu he had cast. Still, he kept his chakra usage to the minimum, swinging up to the fifth level by hand. It was the corner unit - the smallest and the cheapest.

He stepped on the pipes and ran through the seals swiftly, _Boar, Ram, Tiger, Ram_, before releasing the jutsu, letting it spread throughout the window. His eyes widened as chakra flared and he and cursed. It was too late to retract the jutsu. As high-level as it was, it had triggered the defense mechanisms somehow; he activated his Sharingan eyes, tracing the intricate web of chakra that lay below the expected defenses, so tightly concealed that even his two-tomoe Sharingan had to strain to detect its workings.

This was not a Chuunin's work, the seals worked into the ward were too intricate, many unfamiliar even to him. ANBU. Did Ryuuga have the Hokage's backing somehow?

He leapt away as his mind worked furiously, aware that whoever had rigged the trap could be headed here by now.

Chizue was not going to be pleased. It didn't stop a grin from spreading across his face as an explosion rocked the side off Ryuuga's building, the heat just searing him as he bounded away. _Too slow._

__

Kakashi suddenly tensed from his vantage point, watching the Uchiha Clan's movements. A trap had been triggered.

Ryuuga's apartment. Fear sped through his veins for Naruto's well being. The boy was staying with the Chuunin while he and Itachi watched the Uchiha.

Itachi tensed as well. He had helped Kakashi set those wards. He caught up with Kakashi as the older man leapt through the forest undergrowth, racing towards Ryuuga's apartment. "Only one was triggered," he remarked.

Kakashi nodded. But the fear and anger coursing through his veins refused to be reined in. Naruto was in danger. He knew it. But logic and caution warred with fear. Shinobi rule 25. Caution told him to make Itachi stay behind, to find concrete evidence for their growing suspicions about the Uchiha Clan.

Fear for Naruto made him weak.

"We should split up," he told the other, logic winning out. Never mind that they were moments away from reaching the apartment.

Itachi shook his head. "Sasuke's probably with them".

Kakashi couldn't argue with that. The Hatake were dog-summoners. They knew the meaning of pack.

__

Naruto trembled beside him suddenly they clambered up the last stairwell to the fifth floor. "Naruto?" Sasuke questioned the sharp fear roiling off his friend.

_Seven. He was seven. He wasn't five. He wasn't five and the hand on his shoulder was Sasuke. _

The malice disappeared and Naruto sagged to the side, leaving Sasuke to steady him. _He was seven and he knew how to throw shuriken. Itachi said so. He was seven and he wasn't alone._

Then a blast rocked the building and knocked them down the stairs. Sasuke heard rather than felt something snap as he landed on his side, pain flaring through him. Naruto -

Sasuke looked around in panic before realizing the boy was beside him, unconscious. Seconds later there were voices surrounding him and arms picking them up. He thrashed for a moment before catching sight of the Uchiha fan sewed into the sleeve holding him. _Military Police. Clan._ They were safe.

He would regret relaxing later.

The last thing Sasuke remembered was the red swirl of the Sharingan before he woke up in the hospital bed, his mother's distraught face hovering over him.

"My friend?" he croaked at her as she hugged him.

"My friend?"

"Sasuke? You were alone and there was an explosion. You went to visit Ryuuga after school. Remember?"

_No. **No. **__There was -_

"There was no friend Sasuke".

Father's voice. He looked at him and he knew. He knew Father was lying. The same way he knew Itachi-nii was in trouble. The same way - his friend - there had been one with him.

"The Uchiha have no friends, Sasuke."

His mother only sobbed into his shoulder as Father turned and left. Her grief was for more than his injuries. That Sasuke knew.

Kakashi crouched in the corner, inspecting his seals. The genjutsu spread over the building was cloying and one look at Itachi confirmed his suspicions. It screamed of a Sharingan-user. At least neither Ryuuga nor the boys had been inside the apartment.

Chakra-signatures flared near them and Itachi looked up with narrowing eyes. Kakashi caught it a moment later, a tad less sensitive to the whirl of a Sharingan being used near him. They slipped closer and Kakashi froze as the unknown signatures sped off, carrying two very distinctive bundles.

He set off after the one carrying the blonde, surprised when Itachi joined him. "They won't hurt him," was all Itachi offered, his mouth pressed into a thin line.

The pair carrying the boy paused at last, taking a detour and swerving around the Uchiha complex to head for the Hidden Village's border. The illusions cloaking them melted away. Itachi tensed again. He knew where they were going. He knew that chakra signature.

"We have to stop them before they cross the border," Itachi said, doubling his speed.

Kakashi nodded and accelerated, his fingers blurring through Shunshin to let him cut the clones off, grabbing the hands of the one holding Naruto and forcing the other back into Itachi's Katon jutsu. His Kage Bunshin caught Naruto and sped away to a relatively safe distance.

The clone smirked, producing a Katon Jutsu to rival that of Itachi's, easily driving the smaller man back. Kakashi cursed. It was not a good sign that these clones had so much chakra.

Clone or no clone, none of them could withstand a killing blow. _Raikiri._

The clone he targeted swerved at the last moment, sending his arm through its leg instead, propelling Kakashi into a tree branch, hard. _Raikiri._ Again, it ducked, his blow only taking off an arm.

Itachi was having an easier time. He pulled off another Katon before forcing the clone to the ground, seeming almost familiar with its tactics as he countered blow after blow.

Kakashi tried another Raikiri, succeeding in dispelling his clone before he dropped to the ground, breathing hard. That chakra signature … something about it was so familiar.

Itachi winced as he was shoved headfirst into a tree as one of the clone's kicks connected. It leapt away, heading for Kakashi's Kage Bunshin, only to be bludgeoned out of existence by one of Kakashi's nin-dogs. The dog dropped to the ground, whining at its master as he doubled over from exhaustion, barely remembering to slide his hitai-ate down as his Bunshin brought Naruto to the ground.

Three Raikiris. What kind of clone took three assassination jutsus to dissipate? He shuddered at the thought as he lifted Naruto from the Bunshin's arms, staggering as he dispelled it and the boy's full weight dropped on him. Itachi reached them in time, steadying Kakashi.

Kakashi bridled. Itachi had known the clone somehow. Itachi had _known_. And the chakra, it reminded Kakashi of the blood-soaked glade and decaying ANBU corpses he had discovered at Konoha's border.

Itachi took his hands away slowly. It always came down to this. They were both men not given to trust easily. Men who shied away from emotional attachments. Men who preferred to be called Shinobi; shinobi who always looked _underneath_ the _underneath_.

Itachi could not offer Kakashi an explanation. Not now. Not with Naruto lying in Kakashi's arms, suddenly looking much smaller than his seven years, with a bruise spreading across his forehead, and the terrifying knowledge of who exactly had almost gotten his hands on the boy.

"How do you know they didn't get Sasuke?" Kakashi rasped at last.

"They weren't clones. The ones holding Sasuke were Fa – Fugaku's underlings," he forced himself to say the name even as the betrayal burned through his veins. Did the Clan Head know whom the clones belonged to? Was he even aware …

"Do we have to get to the hospital?" Itachi asked. Kakashi shook his head sharply and pointed to the lightening bruise.

"The Kyuubi heals," Kakashi said, snorting softly at the irony of the statement. The Kyuubi heals. Unsaid was the fact that the hospital staff could not be trusted. The village could not be trusted.

They made the journey to Kakashi's apartment in silence, cloaked in genjutsu to avoid prying eyes. Itachi stood after dressing his minor scrapes, casting a speculative eye over the grey pallor of the older man.

"You should stay here," Kakashi murmured. _It's not safe._

"I have to see if Sasuke's safe," Itachi headed for the door and vanished.

Neither wanted to talk about the clones.

"Itachi!" his mother exclaimed as he walked into the hospital ward. He nodded at her tersely. She didn't attempt to hug him for once but Itachi didn't care. His eyes were trained upon the slight form slumbering under hospital covers.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. Sasuke went to visit Ryuuga after school. He's been doing that a lot these days. An explosion occurred. Someone triggered off Ryuuga's wards. It's my fault. I knew Fugaku wouldn't approve but – " she looked away.

_But you wanted Sasuke to have someone else to love him. To have someone else be to him what Father cannot. Did you ever care so much for me mother? Did you ever see … ever try to stop?_

He dispelled the thoughts. It was no use now. And Sasuke had always been the second son, the baby meant to be coddled; underneath Fugaku's notice.

"They didn't let Ryuuga in," it was a statement not a question. Itachi had already met the frantic Chuunin outside the ward and reassured him of Naruto's safety.

Mikoto's expression hardened. "You know how it is," the steel threading through his mother's tones brought a slight smile to his lips. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Uchiha Mikoto had been a kuniochi, one good enough to have activated her Sharingan, survived the Wars and the Kyuubi attack.

"How injured is he?"

"Just the ribs. Hairline fracture. And those cuts," his mother whispered, losing her composure again.

"And – I'm not sure how the medics missed it – but I think he has a concussion. He keeps talking about a friend and asking for him, but he can't remember the boy's name or face. I don't think he had any friends really. He's always been a quiet boy … like you," the words spilled out, with the final two said so softly Itachi strained to catch them.

_Friend? Naruto. He can't remember –_

"There's no bruising? The medics didn't detect any swelling?" his mother only shook her head at his questions.

Itachi swore mentally. _Bastards. Using the Sharingan on the Clan Head's seven-year old. _

He was going to kill them. One by one.

His mother must have caught wind of his murderous thoughts because she gave him a sharp sideward glance.

"Itachi?" Mikoto knew her boy wasn't a child. She knew the things he did and how punishing they had to have been. She let Fugaku have his way because Itachi was the Heir. She let Fugaku have Itachi in exchange for Sasuke. Sasuke at least had been allowed to her.

But she had always chalked down Itachi's aloofness to eccentricity; the rumors of his exploits to exaggerations meant to bolster the Clan reputation. Until now, she had never thought they might be true.

And yet, she watched the way Itachi's eyes raked his brother's still form. She knew the almost-smiles that Sasuke managed to drag from Itachi. She watched the way Itachi raised a hand forward and paused, conscious of her presence.

Suddenly, it pained her. How easily she had given him up, how little she had fought against the Clan, how accepting and docile she had been about it all. And worst of all, how proud she had been to produce a Shinobi who protected Konoha with everything he had.

She turned towards the doorway. "I'll be back in awhile".

If Itachi knew his mother was crying, he didn't say a word. The teen just waited until she left to place his fingertips on Sasuke's forehead and activate his Sharingan. _There._ Someone had been tampering clearly.

_"Naruto! Give that back!" Sasuke chased the blonde. Itachi watched from his tree-perch in amusement. They were supposed to be looking for him._

_ "Too bad! Finders keepers!" Naruto laughed as he ran up the slope. Sasuke lunged low and hard, laughed as he knocked the blonde into the muddy ground, making him lose his grip on the lunchbox he had pilfered._

_ "Hah! I got it! Idiot … you should have just asked me to share instead of – " Sasuke looked over at the still lump splayed out on the ground._

_ High in the trees, Itachi narrowed his eyes before relaxing. The blonde brat was playing a trick on Sasuke._

_ "Naruto?" the concern in his brother's voice was clear as he got nearer, still cautious. Sasuke knew all about Naruto's penchant for playing tricks._

_ "Naruto?" this was serious. Sasuke prodded the other, crouching down to reach for a pulse even as fear squeezed his chest and made his voice squeak._

_ "Argh!" Sasuke yelled as he was tackled to the ground, the lunchbox wrested away. _

_ "Hah! Who's laughing now?" Naruto stuck his tongue out before noticing that it was Sasuke's turn to try to play-dead. "Oh come on Sasuke, don't be a copy – " _

_ Sasuke's eyes were open and determinedly looking at everywhere but Naruto. Naruto wrinkled his nose and then pounced onto the prone form on the ground, his fingers digging into Sasuke's sides._

_ "Naruto! Stop! Argggh!" exclamations punctuated Sasuke's fits of laughter. They finally tumbled to the shallow stream on their right in a tangle of blonde, black, giggling and muddy boy._

_ " 'S not funny you know," Sasuke muttered at last, his chest heaving with each breath._

_ "Sorry?" Naruto proffered the word softly._

_ "Besides, as my best friend, you're supposed to include me in all your pranks," Sasuke said huffily._

_ "I did!" Naruto grinned mischievously. "I pranked **you**__," the blonde exclaimed loudly, making Sasuke groan and reach out a hand to hit him._

_ "Hey!"_

_ "Idiot!"_

_ Itachi decided to drop down on them before they began again. "You were supposed to be looking for me," he fixed the pair with a cool gaze. _

_ "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"_

_ "Yep!" they both jumped at him. Itachi was so surprised he almost forgot to dodge, ending up with a line of mud streaked across his chest. _

_ **Brats.**_

The memory fingers itched with bloodlust. They didn't know what they took from Sasuke.

It was a testament though, to the bloodline, and to the friendship, that Sasuke still clung on to some fragment of Naruto, even with powerful Genjutsu confounding his memory.

Itachi hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should restore the boy's memory – subterfuge was technically no longer a concern now. Footsteps in the hallway made him retract his hands. _Father._

"Itachi," the greeting was flat, devoid of the pride it had once held. The pride Itachi had once clung onto.

"Uchiha-sama," the cool words elicited a flinch. Something inside Itachi laughed delightedly. Itachi had, as Fugaku's son and heir, always been exempt from the strict decorum required in conversations with the Clan Head.

_I know. I know how you plot. I know who tried to kill Ryuuga. I know what you want to do with Uzumaki Naruto._

"I told you the dangers of encouraging the boy's attachment to Ryuuga," Fugaku snarled at last. Itachi leveled a cold gaze on the older man.

"I never anticipated the day an Uchiha would get into danger through association with another Uchiha. My mistake."

"Ryuuga isn't – you know," Fugaku cut himself off in frustration.

"He was _your_ brother's son. I thought we weren't the Hyuugas," the mild note of contempt inserted into his voice was more for show, but the sentiments belying it were true. The Uchiha had never had divisions, had always been ruled by a single leader.

The Clan Head flinched again, and Itachi caught the flicker of remorse that passed over his face. So he still cared …

_Interesting. I wonder if the same irrevocable bonds bound him and uncle. I wonder if Father regrets his brother's fate. I wonder if … the same duty I feel toward Sasuke ... _

"I wonder if you would say the same if Uncle was alive," the quiet words were enough for Fugaku to lose his cool.

"Do you think I don't know? How you skulk around with the Hatake? How you encourage your brother to spend time with the demon?"

Fugaku moved forward, standing alongside Itachi as they both looked at the prone figure on the bed. "Itachi, you don't understand," the man said at last.

"Understand what? Uzumaki is the vessel, not the demon itself. Uchiha-sama, what could possibly make you trust Konoha's biggest secret to _that relic of the past?_"

_ I know more than you can ever hope to guess Father. Far more._

Fugaku recoiled. This time, Itachi felt no satisfaction. "You. How do you?" the older man swallowed before looking away. "We have to clean up after ourselves. The Uzumaki's existence endangers the Clan, Itachi."

"And Konoha? Does colluding with such help the village?" Itachi demanded, trying to press the other into an admission even as disgust coiled deep in his belly.

But Fugaku was already looking away, the cold facade back in place. "The village. We've protected the village enough as it is."

_"Sharingan,"_ perverse pleasure raced through Itachi's veins as he clouded the memory of their last moments as father and son. It would not do to have the man remember his admission.

Itachi slipped out of the ward, leaving his father seated by Sasuke's side. Something had to be done. Fast. The Clan, under Fugaku, under the influence of _him_, was no longer loyal to Konoha at all.

Someone headed for him as he raced across the village rooftops towards the Hokage's Tower. _Ryuuga._

Itachi slowed down to let his cousin reach him.

"Where?"

"The Hokage. The Clan plans to mutiny," Itachi uttered. The words lending more speed to his feet.

"So what's new?" the quip didn't go down well. "Itachi. You have no proof," Ryuuga tried to frantically talk him out of it.

"I heard him – " Itachi trailed off. It was true. His father had only hinted things. Itachi's word would not be enough for the Council. That had been the reason Kakashi and him had danced around the issue of Naruto's attacker for so long, forced to slowly ferret out bits of information, instead of launching a direct investigation over the Clan's involvement.

The Uchiha were too powerful in Konoha.

He swerved, changing directions rapidly as the Tower came into view, heading instead for Kakashi's apartment.

Kakashi bit his lips, a rare sign of frustration breaking through his expressionless facade. "To think they would turn – " he softly murmured to himself as Itachi relayed his conclusions.

"We – I need to do something," Itachi growled, unable to suppress the panic running through his system. _I feel like a genin thrown into my first battle situation. Pull it together Itachi._

"I need to do something – " Ryuuga restrained him. He tensed.

"You aren't thinking," Kakashi said bluntly.

"They could kill your ward. They could start..."

"But why would they? It doesn't tally up. The Uchiha are prosperous and respected. Powerful."

"And arrogant," Ryuuga interjected quietly. Itachi closed his eyes for a moment. He had to tell them the truth if he wanted their counsel. He was not one to seek the opinion of others, to value their guidance. As a child, he had always outstripped his teachers and quickly grew to disregard them. Even his father was no match for him.

_But this isn't about me. It's about the village. About Konoha. About … Sasuke._

"The Kyuubi. The Sharingan can control it," he said flatly. Amazement, shock, and then comprehension and horror dawned in varying degrees on both their faces. He felt his former captain's aura spike with a rage so fierce he knew the other understood the statement.

The Kyuubi had been no accident.

"How do you know?" Ryuuga said at last. Itachi closed his eyes. They were too good to be lied to. Kakashi-san could smell a lie with as much finesse as an Inuzuka and Ryuuga had been one of the Police Force's rising stars. He had to tell them the truth. A truth he had long kept from every other living being.

_"I can help you," the malevolence radiating off the speaker made Itachi turn sharply. No one was supposed to be here. No one had managed to unlock the door to the Clan Shrine in years. No one should know Itachi had unlocked it._

_ No one was supposed to be capable of sneaking up on Uchiha Itachi._

_ Itachi drank in the sight of the battered looking shinobi and almost sneered. Almost._

_ The malice buffeting him in waves, and the long black hair, the coal-black eyes that were the unmistakable mark of an Uchiha … _

_ Impossible. It was impossible._

"He came to me. Uchiha Madara," Itachi said softly, his eyes blank. Kakashi tensed while Ryuuga's eyes widened comically.

"How?"

"Somehow he's cheated death."

"Are you sure … it's him?" Kakashi's eyes were trained on Itachi.

Itachi shook his head. "No, I've considered that. No genetic copy would know what he does."

"Why didn't you tell –" Ryuuga faltered.

"The Village Council? The Clan? Which of them would have believed me?"

"The ANBU. Your superiors," Kakashi said coldly. Itachi didn't flinch.

"He wants the village. Leading the ANBU to him would have been leading them to their slaughter and decimated the village's defenses," Itachi wasn't quite sure why he was explaining or why he wanted Kakashi to accept his reasoning, to tell him he had been right.

"So you let a threat creep around our borders unhindered," Kakashi's gaze sharpened. He knew there was something more to this.

"He was teaching me. I was distracting him," Itachi admitted. _I wanted to learn_.

"You wanted to handle him yourself. Itachi, why would you not have gone to the Hokage with this?"

"We wouldn't have been able to stand against him," Itachi looked away.

"And you would have? Why? Because he was an Uchiha problem?" Ryuuga's scorn sliced through him.

"Because he would have incited a civil war. He would have turned the Village against itself and we would have had to fight our own. And then he would have brought our enemies to finish us off!" Itachi snapped at his cousin.

"Why would an ancient ancestor come back from the dead to destroy the Village?"

"Revenge," it was Kakashi who spoke. Itachi nodded sharply.

"I thought … I hoped I could stop him," he said quietly, the bitter taste of failure permeating his words. "Then he left, more than a year ago. He must have gone to Fugaku once he realized I wouldn't – "

"He returned just recently. Came through the border a couple of weeks ago," Kakashi said to Itachi's surprise. "Dispatched two squads of ANBU and buried them with brutal efficiency."

Abruptly, Itachi stilled. Madara's departure had lulled him into a false sense of security. What if Madara had been testing him? Watching him as he played with Sasuke and Naruto, and slowly opened his heart to his former captain and his exiled cousin.

Suddenly, things slipped into place.

"He used us," despair swamped Itachi and threatened to engulf him.

"Itachi?" Kakashi barked.

"He used us to plant suspicions about the clan. He used our investigation to feed the clan's paranoia and turn them against the village. With Naruto gone, the Hokage's hand would have been forced," Itachi reached the chilling conclusion.

"But the Clan was already planning to mutiny," Ryuuga frowned. "You told me that on the rooftops".

"Madara wouldn't have been able to predict the victorious side. With the Clan caught off guard – "

"What makes you think he only wants the Uchiha?" Kakashi cut into their conversation. He held up a hand as Itachi moved to answer. "The Hokage needs to hear this. _All of it_."

"The Village Council – " Itachi tried to protest.

"Doesn't know everything or decide everything, contrary to belief. Have some faith in Sandaime-sama," Kakashi said curtly.

* * *

Note: Thank you to all the persistent reviewers who never quite let me forget about WOAS! I know there's a lot of fanpanese and errors in previous chapters (and probably in this one) and I mean to fix all of that ... someday. lol when I started this I had no idea Itachi would turn out to be a 'good' guy in canon :P I just wanted him to be more than a deranged murderer and I'm glad Kishimoto redeemed him.

30/01/2010


	24. Game and Set

24. Game and Set

The Hokage examined the unconscious boy in front of him.

"The seal has been tempered with. That must have been his motive for ambushing you," the Third muttered as he worked at reversing the damage. "You should have come to me sooner, before such a thing happened," he turned a steely gaze on the two young shinobi in front of him.

Hatake Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi. Two of the most brilliant - and lethal - shinobi the Leaf had produced in a long while. Both met his gaze with cool deference. Sarutobi sighed. Sometimes he forgot how young they were; youth was inexperienced and reckless. To be young and brilliant meant that you were certain that experience was no match for ingenuity and intuition. That very sentiment had let to the downfall of many great shinobi.

_Orochimaru_. The name still haunted him.

But this was not about his failure as a teacher or his failure as a Hokage. This was not about the dangers of hubris to the self. It was about the fragile being lying motionless on the bed, _yet again_.

"I gave him to you to protect," Kakashi did not have to flinch, Itachi and Sarutobi could hear him swallow reflexively. "I cannot reverse all the damage," the Third paused for a long moment, loathe to give the order, "Jiraiya is in the vicinity. You must track him down as soon as possible. Take the boy with you and keep him safe," he had to trust that Hatake Kakashi would carry out his wishes, too much had already been said in the presence of the Uchiha.

He handed Kakashi a scrap of cloth, torn from one of Jiraiya's cloaks. The edges were clean and neat, ripped out with purpose by a kunai. It was the best he could do. The jounin immediately sent his summons off with the cloth.

"And what will become of the Uchiha?" the question came from the older of the two and Sarutobi was very nearly startled. Even experience cannot predict the ways of the young.

"The Uchiha will be dealt with. The Village is not as ignorant as you had feared. Leave," he commanded, letting a thread of impatience color his words. Kakashi bowed stiffly and lifted Naruto before he swept out of the chambers. The Hokage had given him his orders.

…..

Itachi ignored the feelings that threatened to consume him. The Hatake and him were not beholden to each other in any way, it was irrational to think otherwise.

"Itachi - there is only one option," the Hokage handed him a scroll. Itachi reached out and paused.

"What about _him_?"

"Leave that to me, you and Kakashi were right to bring the matter to my attention".

His eyes flicked across the scroll and he keenly felt the lack of his ANBU mask. He knew how to mask his features without aid, but there was always the slight uncertainty that some part of his face, some part of his physical self would betray him.

This order - this was something he had long contemplated. He had turned it over and over in his mind until he could feel it, red splattered over everything and weighing down the soft fabric he wore beneath ANBU-issue armor. It was a conclusion he had drawn by himself weeks ago and dismissed. And now to be ordered to do this … was sanctioned murder really so different from vigilantism? Yet, how was this any different from the assassinations he had already performed? He had already taken countless of lives in Konoha's name. He had sworn to protect the Leaf and maintain the peace.

"All?" the question slipped out. Sasuke and Ryuuga did not deserve such a fate. _And Mikoto - could he really …_

The Hokage didn't turn around, "That is what the Council has decided".

_How can you ask this of me?_

He already knew the answer to that. He was shinobi, and the only Sharingan user present who was still loyal to the village.

"Itachi, use your discretion," the Hokage's head was bowed even though he stood in front of the window. For once, neither of them would find any comfort in the Hokage Tower's view of the peaceful visage of village life.

Emotion clouds the mind and dulls the senses. And so neither of them noticed the light steps of Shunshin no Shisui as he flitted away into sky, his plans to assassinate Hatake Kakashi abandoned.

_Fugaku was a fool to delay your death. We'll see who gets to play executor, dearest cousin._

…..

Itachi hid himself in the shadows. He forced his heart to slow and breathed only when necessary. He did not want to risk detection at such a preliminary stage.

He counted the seconds down to the change of the guard and darted swiftly into the compound as it occurred. It pleased him that the knowledge he had acquired as part of a perverse, childish need to prove himself their better was now being put to a more constructive use.

From thereon, it was almost laughably easy to slip into the compound and head for the most opulent residence. He knew all the routes to the Clan Head's residence, all the different ways to skulk in unnoticed and slip back out again, always quiet and always hidden. It wouldn't have been becoming for the general Uchiha populace to catch sight of the clan heir drenched in blood, his hands streaked with dirt.

At last he arrived at his destination and stood poised over the boy's bed. The Hokage had been right, there was really only one choice.

They were so different, too different to be brothers, Itachi mused. And yet, as Uchiha Fugaku's sons, their fates were similar, written out in the swirl of the Sharingan even before they had been born. If Itachi turned now and left, Sasuke would become the successor. His passionate nature, so at odds with Itachi's cold resolve, would be a boon to the Clan. Itachi had no doubt that given time and motive, the Clan would manage to mould Sasuke. The boy was too ... _emotional_.

He could not let that happen. He would not let the Clan have another weapon, not in Sasuke.

_And Konoha?_

Itachi closed his eyes and invoked the Sharingan. His mother would be left unharmed. For all her bluster and her loyalty to her husband, he knew Mikoto loved the Leaf. "If you have to kill, do it for the Village, Itachi. Fight for it and everything good in it," she had told him once, when he was barely bigger than Sasuke. He dismissed the memory, letting himself grow cold in the knowledge of what had to be done. She would not care for the man who took away her son and her husband.

A swirl of smoke heralded Shisui's arrival. "Itachi, what a surprise," he drawled lazily.

"Shisui, why are you here?"

"Why not?"

Itachi glared at him. Already he could feel his chakra being siphoned away by the activated Sharingan. But with Shisui so close and Sasuke on the bed between them ...

"I was waiting for you, actually," Shisui smirked. "Expected you to head for Fugaku, but I guess you had to take care of Sasuke first?"

He had to get Sasuke out of here. And what did Shisui know? Did the Clan know? Why had security not been beefed up? A trap then. He had walked into a trap.

"Fugaku isn't here by the way," Shisui smirked at him and the pieces clicked into place. He hadn't detected more than three chakra signatures. Shisui must have cloaked himself to mimic Fugaku. "And you know what, I've never cared for the brat. If you really want to, go ahead and do it. I'll let you have one kill on the house," Itachi stared at Shisui, sickened by his words. Did he really think –

Suddenly his mind cleared. He would use this to his advantage.

"You just don't want to get your hands dirty," there is no emotion, no inflection in his voice. Shisui raged and started towards his cousin, locking gazes with Itachi as he prepared to condemn him. His last memory was a swirl of red and black, the doujutsu overpowering him with a speed that left no option but death; there would be no swift escape for Shunshin no Shisui this time. One down.

The clone lifted Sasuke in his arms and headed for the border to join Ryuuga. Itachi's gaze lingered on Shisui's still form before he leapt away too, heading towards the Council Chambers. There was no point in covering his tracks now.

The only way to keep Sasuke safe was to complete this and leave as soon as he could. No matter how unlikely it seemed, Shisui might have come with a partner. For once, Shisui might actually have been acting according to _orders_.

He had no wish to be a loyal Konoha dog or an Uchiha pawn. He was tempted to let the elders with their petty prejudices and politics clean up their own mess and leave with his brother. But part of this situation was his fault. If he had alerted the Sandaime earlier …

_He would just have given the execution order sooner_.

Itachi shook himself. No, without Madara's meddling it would never have come to this. He clung to the thought as he headed for the Council building. Even if they knew he was coming, even if it was a trap, they could not stand against him. Shisui's death had made sure of that.

…..

Glee filled him for the first time in years as he sprung from branch to branch. . Danzou had kept his end of the bargain. The fool Itachi would soon be carrying out the executions as he had planned. For all his brilliance and cunning, the boy was weak. Too weak to throw off the shackles he wore out of love for his village and his brother. A shame really. Madara could have told him that love was meaningless and fickle. Power was all that mattered, power was the only surety.

The Kyuubi would soon be in his clutches. Already, he could feel the malevolent chakra calling to him. This was no shadow clone. The damn Hatake had already attempted to deceive him thrice. Another fool. The youth was fast and skilled, he had managed to hold off Madara for hours now with various deceptions and diversions. But it was useless to expend chakra on such when he could have used it in battle.

He could have used faster means to reach the Hatake and his burden, but where was the fun in that? He could hardly remember the thrill of the chase anymore. His lips quirked at a sour memory. The last time he had felt his blood singing with adrenaline, he had been in this very woods, chasing the silver-haired jounin's mentor. This would not end the same way.

Perhaps, the last of the Hatake clan was simply afraid to face him in battle. But that was what it would come to, even if battle hardly seemed apt to describe the way things would proceed. Madara was tiring of the game. He smiled to himself, this would be another chance for revenge. The Fourth might be unreachable, destined to spend eternity in another plane, but his spawn and the last of his students would suffice.

…..

His rhythm faltered and he had to twist to catch himself. It was not Kakashi's first time evading pursuit with a burden on his back, and Naruto was really far lighter than any of his former teammates had been. Even the slim-boned Cat had weighed much more than the child. This pursuer though, was inhuman. The multiple traps and the various clones he had sent forth had hardly fazed the shinobi dogging his heels. Kakashi had not been able to wrangle an opening to shake his pursuer. Despite his best efforts, the hostile chakra signature just kept drawing closer as the hours dragged past.

Kirane growled at him suddenly and he cautiously allowed his mood to lift. A cluster of chakra signatures had appeared to the east.

Hours ago, he had been startled by a weary Ryuuga hailing him just past the gates and even more surprised to discover that Ryuuga had no clue why he was there. All he knew was that Itachi had sent a cryptic message requesting his presence. Kakashi had left one of his pack, a particularly capable young pup called Shino, with Ryuuga. No matter how far he traveled, the pup would be able to track him.

It looked like Itachi and Ryuuga had finally caught up with him. That was good. There were some missions that just weren't meant to be done solo.

There was no doubt now in his mind that Uchiha Madara was the shinobi on his trail. The thought threatened to overwhelm him but he forced it back. Death was not something he feared. The mission and its success were his only concerns. In the larger scope of things, all that truly mattered was the village's security and every mission was treated as part of the village's defense. Every successful mission bolstered their reputation and put money in their coffers.

And yet, a niggling anxiety gnawed at him, driving him to frustration. It was almost distracting. What was different this time? The weight on his back shifted. Naruto. Of course. Everything made sense in an unsettling way. Whatever it was, it could only help him right now. Later, he would leave it to later to sort out things out.

He turned as he felt Ryuuga's presence near and cursed as he experienced a brief, horrifying moment of dislocation. Madara must have used the Chuunin to mask his approach. He noted the presence of Uchiha Sasuke in the Chuunin's arms and frowned.

"Itachi?"

"He sent a clone with Sasuke and told me to keep him out of the village. Kakashi, what's going on?"

"Where's the clone?"

"Said he would give us some distraction," Ryuuga gasped out as he tried to match the Jounin's punishing pace, "Give Naruto to me".

"He's my responsibility".

"You can't bring him into a fight," Ryuuga reasoned. Kakashi transferred the boy to the large nin-dog that had once carried him out of a hideous battle.

"Bull will carry him. He can carry them both. Ryuuga – "

They both stopped at the figure in front of them.

"Running away, are we?" the malevolent aura emanating from the hooded figure turned the teasing words into a sinister taunt.

"Let us pass".

"You _know_ I can't do that, Kakashi. Just give me the Kyuubi and I'll spare the other".

"The Kyuubi's gone. The Fourth sealed it away, years ago," Kakashi said flatly.

"Semantics. Give me Uzumaki Naruto, and I'll let Itachi's little brother live. It's pointless for you to stand against me".

"Why bargain, then? You could take them both," Kakashi kept talking. Every moment was precious. He could feel energy stolen by the chase returning to him. He knew Madara's kind. They liked to toy with prey. And Kakashi wasn't going to fool himself. That was all this had been thus far, a game.

"True. But … I'm disappointed. Two Uchihas and the Yondaime's protégé, and this is all you could manage? Haven't you heard of scattering targets?" Madara leered at them.

_Divide and conquer_.

Kakashi just regarded him steadily.

"Never mind, I dealt with your sensei, I can deal with you too," Madara waved dismissively. That hurt, like a dull punch to the gut. Ryuuga threw him a cautious look and Madara laughed at the way Kakashi's chakra spiked, sending the leaves in the clearing into a tizzy.

"Is that all it takes to get a rise out of you? Your sensei? Do you want to know how he begged for me to turn the demon back? How he begged for his own life?"

"You didn't kill him," Kakashi gritted out.

"Oh no, I didn't, did I? He died for the village and the Sandaime let him. A truly noble way to go, giving his life up to steal the Kyuubi for the Leaf".

Kakashi rushed at him then, letting explosive tags fly from his hands and trusting Ryuuga to get the boys away. He stumbled onto the ground as explosions rocked the tree Madara had been perched on.

He had missed. His fingers rose up to his Sharingan and he paused. The Sharingan would drain him of energy in minutes. That was not the point of this fight.

And he had not missed.

"Not going to use the Sharingan? Giving up already? What a shame, I would have liked to have seen the Copy-nin in action," Madara leapt forward and disappeared. Kakashi desperately raced towards Ryuuga's position, watching in horrified disbelief as Madara materialized right beside Bull.

The mastiff yelped and pounced, its powerful paws pinning Madara's form as he tried to get to Naruto. Ryuuga lunged and Kakashi was right behind him, Sharingan eye exposed, lightning crackling in his hands. Then, Ryuuga was cursing and Kakashi felt his knuckles burrowing in hard soil, nerves screaming in agony as raw energy poured through them and dissipated into the ground instead of driving through pliable human flesh.

Madara's fingers passed through Naruto as the Bunshin disappeared with a soft pop.

"Parlor tricks. I would have expected more from an Uchiha".

"It worked, didn't it?" Ryuuga snarled. Kakashi decided he was recommending the man for Jounin if they got out of this alive.

…..

"Danzou-sama, the Uchiha compound has been attacked!"

_I already know, you fools_.

His joy died when he reached the compound.

The stone barriers and the gates were gone, reduced to dust and mere memory. The squat building where the Council had once held its meetings was wreathed in black flames that were already spreading to the buildings beside it. They threatened to burn for eternity and wipe out everything.

The firefighters were waging a futile war against the flames. Already, he could see the Inuzukas and their dogs running around the rubble and adding to the confusion. Swarms of fireflies lent their aid to the ANBU securing the area; the Aburame clan had been roused from their beds as well. Not many in Konoha would sleep this night. In the middle of the chaos, lay bodies wrapped in white. The Uchiha clan head and most of the council elders lay among them.

There were hastily packed boxes being transported out. A steady stream of the young, the old and the infirm poured out of the compound and the surrounding buildings, their eyes glazed in confusion, most of them barely awake.

A red and white fan stared at him from every one of their backs. The Uchiha Clan symbol.

"Danzou! Tell them to stop. Water will have no effect on them," a wizened old man rounded on him.

"Why not?" one of the Chuunins passing by paused at the man's words.

"Only a Sharingan could have invoked them. It must have been the Hatake. I told you all that he should have been put down years ago. Now look! Look what has happened!"

"Grandfather, we can always re-built," the Chuunin took the hysterical man's arm.

"Re-built? The Clan Council has been slaughtered, our heirs killed. You, I bet you ordered the Hatake to do this," the elder stabbed a finger at Danzou.

"Now is not the time for fighting," Sarutobi, the sneaky bastard always appeared when you least expected him. "Matahachi-san, please, continue on your way. It is dangerous here".

"Only a Sharingan could have done this. As Hokage, you are supposed to protect us all. I want to see justice done. Bring the Hatake here!" the old man's cries were stirring up murmurs of unrest from the victims crowded outside the temporary barriers erected around the compound. Danzou disappeared into the shadows.

"I sent Hatake Kakashi on a mission just this morning. Your accusations are unfounded".

"Who else could have done this?" anger was sweeping through the crowd. A riot would break out soon. Danzou allowed a measure of optimism to fill him. Perhaps …

"Itachi and Sasuke are still missing," Uchiha Mikoto's soft voice silenced them all, "I have not been able to find their bodies".

"It must have been Itachi. It's obvious, he must have known the Clan wanted to replace him with Sasuke," one of the old women ventured out loud.

"My son, _my son_, would never raise a finger against his brother," Mikoto's rage made everyone quail. She was not a woman to be crossed lightly in most situations. No one dared to point out that Itachi had never really been hers.

The Sandaime settled his hands on her shoulders in placation. "This is neither the time or place to discuss this –" the crowd burst into furious mutters, "but your home has been desecrated and your kin have been killed, your anger and your calls for retribution are just. I cannot allow you to harm anyone on a mere suspicion so I will tell you this – some amongst you may know that our outermost borders were breached a few weeks ago, two teams of ANBU were found dead. Village security has been placed on alert and the ANBU have been combing the Leaf for this intruder. Hours ago, mere hours ago, I was informed that this intruder had attempted to capture Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. He identified himself as Uchiha Madara to his pursuers," stunned surprise ran through the assembly. Danzou stood rooted to the ground in shock. Impossible, Sarutobi was not supposed to have found out.

"It is possible that this is the work of the one who calls himself Uchiha Madara. A search team will be assembled for Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke within Konoha's borders. If they are still here, they will be found," the Hokage directed this to Mikoto.

_You liar. I penned the scroll intended for Uchiha Itachi. Or did you tell Itachi something else … _

Begrudging respect and rage warred within Danzo, respect won out at last. Sarutobi Hiruzen had outmaneuvered him again. Adversity bred unity. An external threat was the most effective way to unite a ninja village on the brink of civil war.

…..

The world tilted sideways as he heaved himself to his feet. A groan threatened to spill out of him.

"Kakashi, don't – " Ryuuga croaked out, his battered body sprawled protectively over Sasuke's still form.

Kakashi didn't have a choice. Pakkun's arrival with the toad sennin had been timely, but as long as Madara demanded his attention, Jiraiya would be unable to deal with the nine-tails. Kakashi fixed an eye on the demon. There was nothing of the boy remaining in the monstrosity that raged through the trees, haranguing both Jiraiya and Madara. It could not tell friend from foe. And yet, why would Naruto recognize Jiraiya as an ally? Some part of Kakashi clung on to the hope that it would know him.

His fingers were too numb to hold a kunai and he did not know if he could conjure up another Raikiri, but as he watched yet another tail materialize, he knew it had to be done.

_Shunshin._ He planned on appearing next to Madara but a whip of red energy lashed out and caught him by the middle, sending him crashing into a tangle of tree branches. The Kyuubi's howl filled his ears and he shuddered reflexively, remembering fire and death and chaos. Its attention was on him and it screamed again, this time nearer, so near he could feel the raw energy radiating from it. It lashed out at him again but strong arms gripped him and he felt the air scorch his wounds as he was rescued.

Itachi. The man was dripping blood all over him but Kakashi didn't ask. "Jiraiya-sama knows how to seal it," Kakashi rasped and then Itachi was off again.

Madara fumed as Itachi entered the fray. He had tarried too long, Itachi was not supposed to be here. And a confrontation with the damn toad hermit had definitely not been in his plans.

But oh, it had been such fun. The vessel had awoken and it had been so feisty, so misguided and protective toward the shinobi guarding it. As though it believed they truly cared about it. Threatening the Konoha shinobi, especially the Hatake, had been the key to luring the nine-tails out. He could have wreaked such havoc with the Kyuubi by his side.

But the demon would not submit to him in this state, and he did not want to subdue it while fighting off Itachi and the hermit. It was not time for such a confrontation. The board had not even been set. He had too many unhatched plans to set in motion. He would have to make do with the Uchiha boy –

Itachi stood above the fallen Chuunin and the boy, his eyes glimmering at Madara. "Mangekyou Sharingan, I should have realized you'd achieve it tonight," Madara quipped.

"It appears you miscalculated, ancestor," the words were mocking and his ego raged to teach the impudent brat his place. But caution restrained him; the Mangekyou's swirls warned him off. Even if he could incapacitate Itachi here and now, Jiraiya still remained. It was too early yet to reveal himself.

And it was far too early to decide Uchiha Itachi's fate. After all, Uchihas were now a scare commodity in the world.

"I knew you would do as your village asked of you. But very well, I'll let you have the boy for now. I owe you that much for your work tonight," he smirked and chose to exit with that parting shot.

Madara would regret leaving Uchiha Itachi alive for the rest of his days. The boy-genius had thwarted his plans and managed to end the Konoha Civil War even before it started.

18/10/10

...

Author's note: Thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter! It's been five years and the earlier chaps are filled with sidenotes and fangirl japanese ... so for having made it this far ... you get cookies xD;

This was planned out differently but I've started catching up with Shippuuden and Madara seems insanely strong so I had to change things. Also, for any Shisui fans, I'm really sorry he went down without a whimper. I wrote myself into a corner there - Itachi had to leave undetected to carry out his mission.

Next chapter: Finally some Kakashi - Naruto interaction, if I have any say in it :|


	25. Thus are Legends Born I

_Recap of the last chapter: Madara and Danzo's plan to throw Konoha into a civil war and force the elimination of the Uchiha Clan is thwarted at the last moment by Uchiha Itachi who prevents the coup by assassinating the Clan Council. Meanwhile, Madara pursued Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto into the depths of the Konoha Forest and managed to draw out the Nine-Tails Demon from the weakened seal. Only the timely arrivals of the toad hermit Jiraiya and Uchiha Itachi prevents Madara from taking Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke as he leaves, unaware that his plans have not come to pass …_

Plumes of smoke spiraled into the air, curling into the clouds and shadowing the light of the rising sun. The Fly picked it out first, her breath catching at the sight. Her mission was to find Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke but this was her forest. This was home and some disaster had befallen it.

Common sense whispered coolly that others would arrive to investigate. Surely, the patrol squads would have noticed. They might even be on the scene, it might be pointless to race to rescue and abandon her mission. She lifted a hand and closed her aged eyes for a moment, ignoring the confusion spreading through her squad. There was an easier way to find out if aid was required.

The average shinobi could sense clusters of chakra and determine when a jutsu was being cast in the vicinity. The Fly was no average shinobi. She could pick out individual signatures over vast distances, and the more familiar a signature was to her senses, the easier she could detect it out. Young Itachi had only run a single mission with her but that had been enough for the Sandaime to hand her command of the search.

She held her fingers up in a familiar seal, opening her chakra pathways and bracing for the brief, initial moment of agony that was the tariff for her ability; the ensuing cacophony of sensations threatened to engulf her shields before it subsided to a dull background roar, allowing her to get to work. North-east, the smoke was north-east, and she picked out the threads around it, locating a knot of strong signatures with ease. She identified the Wolf immediately despite his ailing chakra levels. The White Fang's son had partnered her on many missions and she had known him since he was a fresh academy graduate, no taller than her knee.

The presence next to him startled her. Jiraiya-sama. Her control faltered as she doubted herself; the Sannin had not been seen in the Leaf since the Yondaime's passing.

Then, rage swept through her – the roiling miasma of brimstone and fire that sent her stomach into contortions could only be the Nine-tails monster, its signature was unmistakable. Once again, the Demon was at the center of the chaos afflicting her village. Her hatred threatened to overwhelm her, but then she spotted them, the softly flickering fire-element natures of the Uchiha. The Demon shadowed their presence but she focused harder, ignoring the way her senses screeched, blocking out the paraphernalia hammering at her from all directions until she could make out three individual signatures. One was small enough to be the child, Uchiha Sasuke. The second was too pale to be the Weasel. The third flickered elusively, trying to hide from her, but a brief lock was all she required. It was the Uchiha Clan Heir, Itachi.

She motioned to the squad, both boys had been found. As the jutsu dispelled, she started in surprise. "Fly-sama?"

She ignored the query. It was foolish … but for the briefest of instants, she had thought she sensed the Yondaime-Hokage. The very Yondaime that the Demon had stolen from them all.

…

A soft brush against his senses was enough to alert him and his attention snapped to the dense copse of trees behind him, watching as a crow winged its way to the horizon. The ANBU would soon be here.

For a moment, Itachi allowed himself to fantasize. He could go back. He would teach Sasuke and Naruto how to throw shuriken, he would finally get to know his cousin Ryuuga, he would change things. He raised a hand to unbuckle his armor and step out from the shadows. The shoulder buckle slipped beneath his fingers and his hand came away covered in blood. He had acquired a shoulder wound and it was bleeding into the drying splatter sprawled over his left breastplate. Chizue had not gone down easy.

There could be no salvation for a kin-slayer. He had hoped to have some time yet with his brother, time to train him and mould him. It had been the hope of a fool.

With reluctance, Itachi ended his ministrations and turned around to face the man bent over Naruto. The sheer power thrumming through the clearing was heady and intoxicating, he knew it was wise to tread softly.

"Help is on the way. I'm going after him," he uttered the words and made to leave, his gaze skittering past the still form of his younger brother. Capture was not on the agenda and he was reluctant to take more lives this night.

"Wait," Jiraiya lifted his hands from Naruto and locked gazes with the young Uchiha. Whispers had reached him of Uchiha Itachi. _Underneath the underneath_ was the rule and he knew it all too well – Sarutobi Hiruzen had been his mentor and Orochimaru his rival, but the young Uchiha still intrigued him. Jiraiya knew he wasn't the best judge of character; he looked too deep and often only found goodness. Sarutobi-sensei had reprimanded him time and again that shinobi were never what they seemed. The goodness of one's heart meant nothing, could mean nothing, when shinobi were trained to disregard it. But he could tell that somewhere beneath the blood-splattered armor and the cold façade of an Uchiha, somewhere underneath, lay a heart.

"You're Itachi?" Jiraiya was standing so close to him that Itachi was suddenly aware of his own vulnerability. He nodded. In another life, he would have been pleased that even Jiraiya knew his name. In this life, he would rather have had another name.

"The boy?" Jiraiya was not sure why there was another Uchiha child lying slumped in the clearing but the resemblance was clear.

"It's too dangerous to bring him along," Itachi decided not to lie. Here was a man who could be a terrifying foe; this was a legend he had grown up hearing about. He dared not try.

"I will stay until the ANBU arrive. The Third will want to know where you've gone." Jiraiya turned back to the blonde child lying on the forest floor. Itachi nodded sharply and unbuckled his left armguard, dropping it to the floor beside Sasuke. It was a peace offering – it would be easier to track him with a fresh scent.

_Sasuke … we'll meet again someday. I promise._

….

Konoha was the fresh scent of spring, blooming fauna and earthy, moist soil. Konoha was not cloying wet clay and pungent overtones of oily fish that stifled the senses, and he drifted to consciousness with a growing sense of alarm, fighting to place the sequence of events that had delivered him to here and now.

"Relax, brat," the voice was familiar and his nose agreed that he wasn't mistaken. Despite their differences and estrangement, this man was no enemy. He forced back the growing sense of panic and opened his eyes calmly.

_Naruto?_ His fingers curled around the boy before he thought to ask. The child breathed steadily, a hand thrown around Kakashi's waist, but that really told him nothing.

"Jiraiya-sama,'' he greeted the Sannin with a questioning glance, wincing as his dry vocal chords cracked, protesting the sudden use. He never relaxed. The last time he had dared, he had forgotten about Naruto.

"Good morning to you too, brat." Jiraiya grinned at Kakashi's discomfort with the title.

"Mask?"

"I don't know. I'm just here watching my charge." The man shrugged. Kakashi raised an eyebrow coolly; even at eight and newly orphaned, Hatake Kakashi had refused to be anyone's _charge_.

"Not you. The boy refused to leave your side, although he kept asking after Uchiha Sasuke. Who would have thought that Fugaku's son would end up friends with an Uzumaki?"

Jiraiya threw him an unreadable look before breaking out in a wide smile. "I can't believe he's staying with you." Hands dipped into his hair and messed up the already unruly silver strands in affection. Kakashi settled for a faint imitation of a scowl that Jiraiya could decipher easily. They had not spoken much in the years since Minato had died. Both preferred solitude to the reminder of the ghosts that bound them together – dead men who had loved too hard and left too early – but it was easy to slip back into routine.

"We aren't in Konoha," Kakashi muttered at last, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Uchiha Ryuuga filled me in before the ANBU arrived. The ANBU only had orders to retrieve the Clan Heirs," Jiraiya said lightly. "The scroll your summon passed me had orders for us to spirit Naruto to a hideaway." Jiraiya's expression sobered. "It wasn't easy to convince the ANBU that you didn't need a trip to the Konoha infirmary. You could have died, brat."

"And Naruto?" He ignored the reprimand. Death would never bother him.

"I've undone most of it, the kid will be fine. How much do you know about seals?"

"Just a little," Minato-sensei had never had the time – life – to show him more than that.

Jiraiya grunted, "We'll have to remedy that. I'm not about to stick around forever. Still have the snake bastard to hunt down."

"Even Hokage-sama couldn't undo the damage," Kakashi pointed out.

"I doubt that. He knew I was in the forest," Jiraiya smirked faintly as realization dawned in Kakashi's eyes. Somehow the Third had orchestrated this series of events but why would he expose Naruto to …

"Itachi?" he grasped at the fleeting memory.

"The boy went after Madara." Alarm gripped Kakashi and he lifted himself out of the bed, gritting his teeth as pain exploded through him.

"By himself?"

"He arrived on your heels and I assumed he had orders," Jiraiya shrugged. "Besides, the kid had motive. The ANBU told me that Madara killed the Uchiha clan elders and destroyed the compound. Itachi must have wanted revenge."

Kakashi felt bile rise in throat and he closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the sluggish manner in which viscous droplets of blood had dripped off Itachi's armor in the forest glade. The blood had been not more than an hour old.

_What did they make you do?_

Abruptly, he opened his eyes. "Only the clan elders?"

Jiraiya's gaze sharpened. "As far as the ANBU knew, only the elders and those manning the security outposts were killed. Why?"

Kakashi shook his head slowly, remembering the betrayal he'd read in Itachi's stance when he'd obeyed the Sandaime and left with Naruto. The execution must have been the Village Council's callous solution to the threat of mutiny. "The Uchiha were planning a coup. Madara's execution was _timely_," he spit out the words, surprised at the vehement edge to his own voice. Jiraiya's sharp intake told him that the elder knew what he was driving at.

"The Third –" Jiraiya fell silent. The Third would do what was required to protect Konoha.

"The ANBU had orders for Itachi, I passed them on with a summon," Jiraiya offered at last, his own mind working to process this new information. Kakashi sagged back against the headboard at the words. Whatever the Weasel had done, he was no missing-nin.

Nausea gripped him again and he forced his eyes shut, struggling to remain impassive. He wanted his mask, damn it. Shinobi were tools. Shinobi were nothing more than a means to an end and he knew it, had known it since his first C-rank when his sword had plunged deep into an enemy-nin's heart and he'd watched the man's eyes dull even before he slid the blade back out. He'd been comforted then, by the knowledge that they were all tools, just willing pawns whose death mattered not at all.

Fourteen years on, it shouldn't matter that his village had ordered a boy to assassinate members of his own clan. How had Itachi felt as he stood over his own father's corpse? Kakashi could sense Jiraiya's hand hovering over his left shoulder, and he inhaled deeply, trying to wipe the memory of a pale-haired man lying on the floor bleeding to death, an arm flung out to his one and only son.

_Don't think about it._

The dizzying vertigo passed quickly and he receded back under the covers of his bed but Jiraiya gripped his shoulder tight anyway. It was almost as if the man knew his thoughts.

"Kakashi-nii!" The loud cry gave him just enough warning and he braced himself as arms flung themselves around his neck and squeezed.

"Naruto," he gasped out, reaching up to loosen the death-grip on his neck before bringing his arms around the small, fragile form clinging to him. Warmth spread through him, melting away the knot of anxieties that had been growing since he woke. Kakashi had not forgotten Naruto's refusal to return home with him.

The child clung to him and sniffled, small fists stubbornly worrying away at his eyes. Then he scowled at Kakashi petulantly. "I thought you were going to sleep forever and ever! The old guy said – "

"I told you brat, I'm not old!"

"You have white-hair."

"_He_ has silver hair!" Jiraiya stuck a finger out at Kakashi.

"Kakashi-nii is younger than you! And he's cooler than you!"

"How do you know, brat? He could be really, really old under that mask of his! Besides, I'm more handsome than him," Jiraiya puffed his chest out.

"I'm smarter than you so I know what aniki looks like!"

"Oh ho, don't lie dwarf! You can't possibly know!"

"Am not little! And I do too know! He doesn't wear a mask at home and, and, 'sides he's not wearing one now, see!" Naruto tugged at the covers and they slid to the floor. Kakashi yelped, the smile he had been wearing disappeared as his bandaged chest and his _face_ were exposed to the world.

"Naruto!" He glanced nervously at the door, a hand flashing up to cover his face as he scrambled for the sheets. To his dismay, his muscles quivered and surrendered to gravity's pull the moment he stressed them, sending him in an ungraceful arc toward the floor until Jiraiya gently pulled him back onto the bed.

"Kakashi, take it easy," the words were lost on him as he fought to stay conscious. A sob caught his attention and he forced his head to turn. Naruto. The world was blurry and unfocused and he had to squint before he could place the blonde and flail out an arm in his direction. For a terrifying moment, he saw the Kyuubi's image imposed upon Naruto and his arm fell. Red, Naruto was wearing a red shirt. It wasn't the Kyuubi. Just Naruto. No malicious chakra, no overpowering killer intent. His hands shook too much but Jiraiya soon picked up on his intention and shepherded the boy into Kakashi's arms.

"Shh, Naruto," he didn't know what else to say, couldn't even begin to guess at why the boy was crying. There were too many reasons. They were in a foreign place and the last thing Naruto probably remembered was the explosion at Ryuuga's apartment. Kakashi's jaw tightened and he pulled the boy even closer. He could only hoped that Naruto had no memory of waking in the forest and going berserk with the Nine-Tails' power.

"I didn't mean it! I forgot you don't like it," Naruto cried out against him. Kakashi would have smiled but Naruto had wound his arms around him in another death-grip and the boy was shaking like a Genin after his first kill.

Jiraiya had gone out sometime during the outburst and returned now, balancing three steaming bowls in his large hands. He laughed at Naruto's apology.

"Don't worry, kid. You aren't the first blonde to unmask Kakashi against his wishes," he ruffled Naruto's hair. Kakashi glared at Jiraiya. There had been a year, so long ago now, when Minato and Jiraiya had made a game out of trying to unmask him at every opportunity. Kakashi still had nightmares.

The bowls were filled with spicy soup and noodles, and they used the food to distract Naruto. Ramen was always the answer. Or at least it used to be. Teary blue eyes darted from the bowls to Kakashi.

"I thought you liked ramen?"

"I –"

"Naruto, do you need me to feed you?" Kakashi drawled. The boy yelped at that and jumped off the bed.

"I'm not a baby!" He snatched up the nearest bowl and inhaled the broth before beginning to devour the meal noisily, ignoring the amused glances that were shared over his head. Jiraiya took the cue to break open his own chopsticks before he paused and raked a glance over the lethargic form in the bed.

"Brat, it looks like you're the one who needs feeding," Jiraiya chortled. It had been decades since he'd gotten a Hatake in such a vulnerable position.

"I'd rather die."

Naruto looked up at that. "Does that mean I can have your bowl?"

"Not a chance." Kakashi watched Naruto furtively for a few seconds more, waiting for the boy to set down the empty bowl to broach the subject. "Naruto, do you remember what happened?"

"I - was with Sasuke and then the explosion, and then - " the boy looked down and away. "The old man told me Sasuke's fine, right?" Kakashi had no way of being certain but he nodded anyway, there was nothing else he could do when faced with a trembling Naruto.

"And we've come here… to keep me safe?" Kakashi nodded again, relieved that Jiraiya had explained the situation. "I – I won't ask to see Sasuke again," Naruto declared firmly.

"Did you have a fight?" Kakashi frowned. He had expected to be dealing with a sulky Naruto or worse, an angry Naruto who'd demand to return home and prank Kakashi to try and have his way. He hadn't been prepared for this disconsolate, somber child.

"No. I can't – I'm dangerous!" The ramen bowl clattered to the floor as Naruto fled the room.

Kakashi would have followed if his limbs had obeyed him. He was forced to shiver against the bed frame, cursing his limitations.

"Naruto seems to remember more than he let on," Jiraiya frowned.

"Aren't you going after him?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "He has to learn to deal with it alone."

"He's just a boy, and he hates being alone," Kakashi gritted out.

"Kakashi, he's never been just a boy. He'll never be treated as just a boy," Jiraiya locked gazes with the injured shinobi.

A lesser shinobi, one with no personal experience with Jiraiya, would have called the man cold, for his mouth was set in a grim, unshakeable line, his eyes dark and nonchalant. Kakashi knew better, could read the grief in those eyes. Naruto's fate had been sealed soon after his birth. It had been so easy, for a time, to pretend that Naruto was just the orphan son of the Hokage. A boy with a remarkable parentage, and the genetic potential to grow into a powerful shinobi, and just that.

"He has to be told, doesn't he?" Kakashi reached painful conclusion. No matter how much Naruto remembered of the Fox's takeover, he would have questions that only one tale could solve. And now with Madara looking for him, he needed to know, if only for his own protection.

Jiraiya nodded sharply.

"What about sensei - " Kakashi faltered, his throat catching around the words. It seemed ludicrous to be asking if an orphan deserved to know about his parentage. But could he handle it? Would he be able to understand why the Yondaime had chosen to make _his_ _own son_ into a vessel and a weapon?

Kakashi could not bear to entertain the suggestion that Namikaze Minato might be hated by his own flesh and blood, but the possibility was entirely too real.

Jiraiya had no answer.

A/N: Wrote too many different drafts of the Itachi-Anbu-Jiraiya scene and multiple versions of Kakashi waking up before this was acceptable. Still feel this chapter could have been better but ... thought I'd better get it out before I forget/misplace this chapter again. It's a light update, not as intriguing as the previous chapters, but I hope it's enjoyable anyway.

Also yay, woas has crossed the thousand review milestone! Thank you :'D


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